The Flight Data Recorder (FDR) and Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) from the Sikorsky SK76 helicopter that crashed into the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Bonny Finima, Rivers State, have been successfully recovered.
The Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) announced the recovery in a statement on Friday, issued by the Director of Public Affairs and Family Assistance, Bimbo Oladeji. The crash occurred on October 24, when the helicopter, operated by East Wind Aviation and contracted by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) Limited, nosedived into the ocean near Port Harcourt, the capital of Rivers State.
Two weeks after the tragic incident, the NSIB confirmed the retrieval of the black boxes early on Friday morning, with the cooperation of Search and Recovery partners including NNPC, NIMASA, the Nigerian Navy, and HydroDive.
According to the NSIB statement, “The Flight Data Recorder (FDR) and Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR), commonly known as the aircraft’s ‘black box,’ were recovered this morning. This effort is part of the coordinated search and recovery operation, in collaboration with local and international partners, to locate the bodies of the deceased and retrieve critical components necessary for a thorough investigation.”
The data from the FDR and CVR will be crucial in reconstructing the events leading up to the crash and determining its cause. The recovered devices have been secured for transport to the NSIB’s data analysis laboratory, where specialists will extract and analyze the data to provide insights into the technical and operational factors that may have contributed to the accident.
Captain Alex Badeh Jr., Director General of the NSIB, praised the recovery teams for their efforts and emphasized the significance of the investigation. He stated, “The recovery of the FDR and CVR is a crucial step in understanding what led to this tragic accident. The information contained in the black boxes will offer invaluable insights into the sequence of events and assist in determining the cause of the crash, as well as guiding any necessary safety recommendations.”
Badeh also extended his thoughts to the families of those still missing, assuring the public that efforts to locate the remaining individuals and provide answers to the affected families are ongoing.
The helicopter, which was carrying six passengers and two crew members, crashed into the Atlantic Ocean near Bonny Finima, off the coast of Calabar. So far, three bodies have been recovered from the crash site.
