The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has clarified that the helicopter with registration 5N-BQG, which crashed in Port Harcourt last week, was indeed airworthy, contrary to claims in recent reports.
In a statement, NCAA Director General Chris Najomo refuted an online report suggesting that the helicopter, which was operated by East Wind Aviation for the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), had been scrapped in 2018. Najomo emphasized that the aircraft met all airworthiness requirements at the time of the crash.
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The incident occurred on Thursday when the helicopter, en route from Port Harcourt Military Base (DNPM) to the FPSO-NUIMS ANTAN oil rig, crashed into waterways near the Rivers State capital at 11:22 a.m. Tragically, four bodies have been recovered from the eight passengers on board.
Addressing claims made by an online platform, Najomo confirmed that while the helicopter was first registered in 2004 under Aero Contractors as 5N-BGN and later deregistered to Canada in 2009, it was not scrapped in 2018. “The report falsely implied that the helicopter’s registration was canceled in 2018 after being scrapped and raised questions about its re-registration as 5N-BQG,” Najomo clarified.
NCAA continues its investigation to uncover the precise details surrounding the incident, maintaining that the helicopter’s airworthiness was in good standing prior to the crash.
