Rivers helicopter crash: NSIB recovers black box, searches for three bodies

The Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau has confirmed the recovery of the black box, which includes both the Flight Data Recorder and Cockpit Voice Recorder, from a helicopter that crashed in Port Harcourt, the capital of Rivers State.

On October 24, a Sikorsky SK76 helicopter operated by East Wind Aviation and contracted by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited plunged into the Atlantic Ocean near Bonny Finima, off the coast of Calabar.

The aircraft was carrying six passengers and two crew members. Three bodies have been recovered from the crash site.

The black box is a critical component necessary for a comprehensive investigation and discovery of the real cause of the accident.

In a statement released on Friday, Bimbo Oladeji, the Director of Public Affairs and Family Assistance at NSIB, confirmed that the black box was located and retrieved in the early hours of Friday.

She stated that the recovery was a joint effort by NSIB and its Search and Recovery partners, including NNPC, the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, the Nigerian Navy, and HydroDive.

“The Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB), in collaboration with its Search and Recovery partners NNPC, NIMASA, the Nigerian Navy, and HydroDive, has recovered the Flight Data Recorder (FDR) and Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) from the Sikorsky SK76 helicopter, registration 5N-BQG, which ditched in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Bonny Finima on October 24, 2024.

“Since the accident, NSIB and its Search and Recovery partners have coordinated a search and recovery operation in collaboration with local and international partners to locate and retrieve the bodies of the deceased and the critical components necessary for a comprehensive investigation. The FDR and CVR, commonly referred to as the aircraft’s ‘black box,’ were retrieved early this morning.”

The NSIB spokesperson also revealed that the recovered recorder has been secured for transport to the bureau’s data analysis laboratory.

“It will undergo data extraction and analysis by NSIB’s specialists to provide insights into the operational and technical conditions leading up to the accident and to help determine the cause,” she stated.

Oladeji stated that the Director General of NSIB, uoted Captain Alex Badeh Jr., commended the recovery teams and stressed the importance of the investigation.

“The recovery of the Flight Data Recorder and Cockpit Voice Recorder marks a monumental step in understanding what led to this tragic accident. The black box holds vital information that will provide invaluable insight into the sequence of events leading up to the crash, which will help us determine the cause and inform any necessary safety recommendations.”

“While our thoughts are with the families of those still unaccounted for, concerted efforts are being made to find the missing individuals and provide answers to the families affected by this accident,” she added.