A preliminary report on a Bristow helicopter that crashed in February has been released by the Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB).
The report indicates that there were defects in the helicopter’s two recording systems, the Guardian reports.
One of the faulty systems, Faerito image recorder, “is understood to be the first accident damaged recorder of this type”.Spokesperson for the AIB, Tunji Oketunbi, yesterday told The Guardian that the faulty recorder, however, had nothing to do with safety and operations of the ill-fated flight.
The helicopter, according to the investigators, was fitted with a Multi Purpose Flight Recorder (MPFR), which represents the Cockpit Voice Recorder/Flight Data Recorder (CVR/FDR).
Preliminary findings confirmed that: “the flight crew were certified and qualified to conduct the flight in accordance with applicable Nigerian Civil Aviation Regulations (Nig. CARs).“The Captain and Co-pilot had 2497:45 and 852:00 hours on aircraft type, respectively.
It would be recalled that the Sikorsky S-76C++ Helicopter, with registration number 5N BQJ, belonging to Bristow Helicopters Nigeria Limited crashed into the Atlantic Ocean on February 3, 2016.