Bristow helicopter crashes in Lagos, 11 passengers rescued
- Another Bristow helicopter has reportedly gone missing in Lagos
- The chopper was en route Lagos from Port Harcourt
- The helicopter had 9 passengers and 2 crew members on board
No fewer than eleven persons on Wednesday, February 3, escaped death after a Bristow 5B BJQ Helicopter enroute Lagos from an off- shore location in Port Harcourt ditched inside the Atlantic Ocean, Legit.ng can authoritatively report.
According to reports from emergency agencies, the helicopter had 9 passengers and 2 crew members on board.
READ ALSO: Meet 26-yr-old co-pilot of the crashed helicopter
The Nigerian Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) has confirmed the incident, saying the aircraft 5N BJQ was flying at 1,500 feet when it disappeared.
Sam Adurogboye,a spokesperson of NCAA, in a text message, said there was no casualty as the 11 persons on board were rescued after the chopper ditched inside the Atlantic Ocean.
"It happened 70 Nautical Miles off Lagos. They were returning from their off-shore location called ERA," he said.
Meanwhile, Ibrahim Farinloye, the NEMA spokesperson, told Naij.com that the 11 passengers on board the aircraft have been rescued alive.
Michael Akindele, LASEMA’s general manager, said no life was lost in the incident, adding:
“Agip, Mobil and Shell oil companies provided speed boats, while Bristow Helicopter also provided landing boat for the evacuation of the survivors. Their survival is in adherence to the use of life jacket and the recently conducted emergency preparedness simulation of air crash by NEMA, LASEMA and other stakeholders. Further investigation on the crash will be looked into by the relevant authorities.”
Other agencies involved in the rescue operations included the Nigerian Navy, the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) and the Red Cross.
It would be noted that less than six months ago a helicopter flying in from Port Harcourt owned by Bristow Helicopters crashed into the Oworosoki end of the Lagos lagoon on Wednesday, August 12, 2015. No fewer than 12 people were on board when the helicopter went down.
Owners of the helicopter comment
Below is the statement by Bristow Helicopters Nigeria on the crash:
“Bristow Helicopters (Nigeria) Limited, confirmed today that one of its helicopters, was involved in a water landing near Lagos at about 10.25 a.m. local time on return from an offshore platform.
“The aircraft, a Sikorsky S-76C++, had departed on a routine crew transfer flight offshore with nine passengers and a crew of two.
“All persons onboard are accounted for and in the process of being transferred to a nearby installation. The company is in the process of collecting pertinent information and will release more details as soon as it is available.”
The Media Consultant to Bristow Helicopters, Cornelius Onuora, added that 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.
Source: Legit.ng
