Aviation
Court fails to give specific verdict on Dana crash
LAGOS – Exactly two years after 153 passengers and crew of the ill-fated Dana Aircraft perished in Lagos, Magistrate Oyetade Komolafe of the Lagos coroner, Tuesday, held that the court could not arrive at a specific verdict on the cause of the crash owing to inconclusive investigation by the Accident Investigation Bureau, (AIB).
However, the presiding coroner only made recommendations on steps to be taken by authorities to avoid future mistakes as well as improving rescue operations whenever such incident occurs.
In his one hour judgment, Coroner Komolafe x-rayed the circumstances leading to the inquest as well as the number of people and government agencies that testified before him and concluded that no verdict could be arrived at due to failure of the AIB, the body responsible for investigating air crash to present a formal report of its investigations to it.
Though, according to him the composition of the coroner court by the Chief Coroner, Justice Lateefa Okunnu was in line with the Coroner law of Lagos State, however, he only achieved little due to unavailability of the report of the investigation of the AIB.
The chambers of Falana and Falana had filed petition asking the State Chief Coroner to compose a coroner for an inquest to among other things find out the cause(s) of the air crash.
Mr. Femi Falana, SAN, a principal partner at the law firm, in the request made to the State Chief Coroner, alleged that the aircraft was granted permission to fly, in spite of being defective.
He stated that investigations into the incident revealed that the events leading to the crash were poorly managed, hence the ghastly crash and subsequent loss of lives.
“The distress call made by the pilot of the ill-fated aircraft several minutes before the crash was ignored by the airport authorities. The management of the disaster was crude, as members of the public had to use bare hands in the rescue operations,” he said.
Falana said the request was pursuant to Section 15 of the Lagos State Coroner’s Law 2007, which stipulates that an inquest should be held whenever a coroner is informed that the death of a person within his district was “in a violent, unnatural or suspicious situation.”
According to Komolafe, 17 witnesses including security agencies, emergency agencies, state Chief Pathologist, Professor John Obafunwa, representatives of the airline and other governmental agencies gave evidences.
At the end of his findings, Komolafe made a nine-point recommendations to the authorities to respond to such future emergency case.
These includes the “establishment of national body for logistics and supply for the body handlers and retrievals and that they should be meeting at intervals”; urgent need for the forensic science laboratory in each geopolitical zones and any state that can have such.
He also called for an enactment of a national Coroner system; the provision of fire services in each local government of the federation.
Other recommendations by the Coroner include provision of equipments for all emergency agencies; establishment of radio unit service in all emergency units that will be link to each other,
Apart from these, he suggested the establishment of national and state corps and inter-agency cooperation among all emergency agencies.
The Dana air mishap of June 3, 2012, claimed the lives of 153 people on board the aircraft as well as about 10 victims on the ground.
On June 18, 2012, an inquest into the cause of the accident began in Lagos, the inquest was, however, halted three months later after a group filed a suit at the Federal High Court challenging the jurisdiction of the coroner.
When the inquest resumed, weeks later, testimonies by the pathologist who conducted an autopsy on the deceased’s bodies continued.
Dana Air’s Director of Flight Operations as well as a consultant to the Accident Investigation Bureau resumed their testimonies, from where he told the court that AIB was yet to conclude its findings on the crash.
Other witnesses who appeared before the coroner included officials of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, National Emergency Management Agency, as well as the Lagos State Fire Service.
– VANGUARD
An Abuja-Accra flight experienced technical difficulties mid-air on Friday, forcing it to return to Abuja, shortly after departure.
The Nigerian Safety Investigation Board (NSIB) made the disclosure in a statement, adding that it has launched investigation into what it described as a serious accident.
Director, Public Affairs and Family Assistance, NSIB, Bimbo Olawumi Oladeji stated that preliminary investigations revealed the aircraft experienced an engine number two indication issue.
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It was gathered that the aircraft, with registration number 5NKAL which was operating a flight from the Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport, Abuja (DNAA), to Kotoka International Airport, Accra (DGAA).
She explained that four persons were onboard when the incident occurred. The crew immediately requested for a diversion back to Abuja due to the engine indication.
Oladeji added that the crew managed to safely land the aircraft at Abuja Airport at 18:16 UTC.
There were no injuries reported, and all individuals on board are safe.
Nigeria has acquired 12 pre-owned Alpha Jets from the French Air Force as part of efforts to enhance the operational capacity of the Nigerian Air Force (NAF).
The deal, facilitated through SOFEMA, a French military and aeronautics company, was announced by Olusegun Dada, Special Assistant to President Bola Tinubu on via X on Thursday.
He said, “All the 12 aircraft are ready for shipping.”
The Alpha Jet, a product of Franco-German collaboration, is a versatile military aircraft designed for light attack and advanced training missions.
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Equipped to carry bombs, rockets, and missiles, the aircraft also features a gun pod for close air support.
The NAF already operates 11 Alpha Jets, but this latest procurement signals a significant boost to its fleet.
Dada also confirmed that the Air Force is expecting 24 M-346FA light attack aircraft, ordered during the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari.
The first batch of these Italian-made aircraft is expected to arrive early next year.
Air Chief Marshal Hasan Abubakar, the Chief of Air Staff, described the acquisitions as a testament to President Tinubu’s commitment to bolstering the armed forces.
“This renewal of our aircraft fleet reflects the government’s commitment to ensuring the safety and security of Nigerians,” Abubakar said.
The announcement comes on the heels of President Tinubu’s three-day state visit to France, where he met with French President Emmanuel Macron.
The visit, which took place from November 27 to November 30, highlighted deepening ties between the two nations.
To ensure the sustainability of its expanding fleet, the Air Force has proposed establishing a local maintenance hub.
Speaking in October, Abubakar noted that six units of the M-346FA aircraft were already in production, with the initial batch of three expected to be delivered in early 2025. The full fleet is projected to arrive by 2026.
“These developments underscore the importance of creating a domestic support system for the long-term upkeep of our aircraft,” Abubakar added.
As the holiday season draws near, Aero Contractors has introduced a minimum ticket price of N80,000 for all local flights.
The move, which will last until January 2024, aims to ease the financial burden on Nigerians amid the high cost of living.
Ado Sanusi, Managing Director of Aero Contractors, made the announcement on Tuesday during a press briefing, describing the fare reduction as a gesture to help Nigerians celebrate Christmas and the New Year without the stress of steep ticket prices.
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Sanusi said, “We understand the economic hardship Nigerians are facing, especially with high ticket prices, and we know the holiday season is nearby.
“In the spirit of Christmas, Aero Contractors has introduced what we call pocket-friendly Christmas prices. These fares, starting at N80,000, will apply to all our destinations, allowing Nigerians to travel without excessive costs.”
As of Tuesday afternoon, an economy class ticket from Lagos to Abuja was priced at N99,643, while business class tickets were being sold for N189,167.
Sanusi further explained that the initiative was designed to make it easier for families to reunite during the holidays.
“This is a way for us, as an organization with a long history of serving Nigerians, to give back to our loyal customers. We want to make it possible for families to meet their loved ones during this festive season without worrying about exorbitant travel costs,” he added.
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