Pilots, passengers survive Lagos helicopter crash

Eleven persons yesterday escaped death by a whisker after a Bristow 5B BJQ Helicopter en-route Lagos from an offshore location in Port Harcourt ditched inside the Atlantic Ocean, 20 miles to Lagos. Yesterday’s incident came six months after Bristow Helicopters’ chopper crashed into Lagos lagoon near Oworonshoki Area of Lagos.
However, unlike its August 13, 2015 fatal crash wherein six of the 12 persons on board the ill-fated helicopter, including the pilot and the co-pilot, died, all the 11 souls on-board – nine passengers and two crew members – were rescued.
The Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB), Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) confirmed the incident. A statement issued in Lagos by the Head, Public Affairs, AIB, Mr. Tunji Oketunbi, said that all the 11 souls on board, includ-ing two crew members were rescued from the crash.
Oketunbi declared that AIB investigators had commenced investigation into the occurrence, adding that details of the crash would be communicated later. Also, the helicopter company, in a statement, confirmed the accident, but described it as a “water landing,” near Lagos at about 10:25a.m. when the chopper was returning from an offshore platform.
“A S76 C++ helicopter marked 5N-BQJ belonging to Bristow Helicopters, which departed ERHA Platform en-route Lagos was ditched into the Atlantic Ocean 95 nautical miles into destination at about 10:20a.m. local time. “All the 11 souls on board, including two crew members, were rescued. AIB has commenced investigation into the occurrence,” Bristow stated.
Similarly, the General Manager of LASEMA, Mr. Michael Akindele, in a statement, said emergency responders, including three RRS search and rescue helicopters, Nigeria Navy, Air Force and others were deployed for the operation. “The helicopter ditched inside the ocean, however 11 souls on board are alive, no casualty,” he said. Akindele said Agip, Mobil and Shell oil companies helped with the provision of speedboat to facilitate the rescue operation. He said that Bristow Helicopter Company also provided landing boat for the evacuation of the passengers.
Media Consultant to Bristow Helicopters, Mr. Cornelius Onuora, said the incident was not a crash, but a controlled ditching, which was an emergency landing of a helicopter on water. Onuora said the pilot observed that there was a technical issue with the helicopter and he decided to land it earlier than scheduled.
Commander of the Rapid Response Squad (RRS), Olatunji Disu, said that immediately the command was alerted of the crash yesterday morning, three helicopters were immediately deployed to commence a search for its possible location. “We knew they just took off at the airport. Everybody thought the helicopter crashed in their air field.
But we immediately deployed the three RRS helicopters into the air and started the search. “After some time, the crashed helicopter was located 68 nautical miles out of Lagos on the ocean and we were able to communicate with the company. “The joint effort of the rescue team spearheaded by the RRS in collaboration with Shell, Agip and Mobil oil companies went a long way to save the lives of those on board. Only the pilot sustained injuries,” Disu said.