The Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) has announced the recovery of the black box from the helicopter that crashed in Rivers State last week.
The incident occurred on October 24 when a helicopter operated by East Wind Aviation, under contract with the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited, went down in the Atlantic Ocean near Bonny Finima, off the coast of Calabar.
The helicopter, carrying six passengers and two crew members, was en route from the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) base in Port Harcourt when it crashed around 11:22 a.m.
In the latest development, Bimbo Oladeji, the NSIB’s Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, confirmed on Friday that the Flight Data Recorder (FDR) and Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) — commonly referred to as the aircraft’s black box — were successfully retrieved from the crash site.
“The FDR and CVR, crucial devices for analysing flight performance and cockpit communications, were recovered early this morning,” Oladeji stated.
“These recordings are vital for investigators to reconstruct the events leading to the accident.”
Oladeji added that the recovery operation was a collaborative effort involving the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) and other local and international partners.
The recovered devices have been secured and will be transported to the NSIB’s data analysis lab for detailed extraction and evaluation.
“This data will provide insights into the helicopter’s operational conditions and the technical factors preceding the crash,” Oladeji added.
Meanwhile, the search for three missing passengers continues.
NSIB Director-General Alex Badeh highlighted that long-term efforts are being coordinated with recovery partners to locate the missing individuals and provide closure to their families.
Badeh commended the recovery teams and stressed the significance of the investigation.
“The retrieval of the black box is a monumental step in understanding the sequence of events that led to this tragic accident,” he said. “The data extracted will offer invaluable insights, guiding our investigation and helping us develop critical safety recommendations for future operations.”
The NSIB has assured the public that a thorough investigation is underway, with the goal of preventing similar incidents in the future.
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