Following Wednesday's controlled ditching of a
Bristow Helicopter, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has suspended
the operation of the Bristow Helicopters Limited's Sikorsky S-76X++ type till
further notice.
The Helicopter ditched inside the high sea around
10 a.m on Wednesday with 11 passengers including two crew members on board.
Daily Trust reports that it is the same type of
Helicopter also operated by the company that was involved in a crash on August
the 12th, 2015 killing six of the 12 souls on board.
Due to frequency
of the crash involving the aircraft type, the NCAA decided to wield the
big stick and suspended the operation of the series to enable it carry out a
full scale audit on its operations with particular emphasis on its Sikorsky S-
76C++ type.
Director General of NCAA, Capt. Mukhtar Usman who
briefed newsmen at the NCAA annex at Murtala Mohammed International Airport
said the authority viewed "with utmost seriousness the successive mishaps
of Bristow Helicopters' operating aircraft Sikorsky S- 76C++ on the coastal
waters of Lagos".
He however explained that the suspension of
operations of the company does not represent a vote of no confidence on the
company but to ascertain the adequacy and propriety of the operating aircraft
type.
"This is not new in the industry, it is one
of the Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) all over the world", Usman
said.
He said the decision was without prejudice to the
ongoing investigation of Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB), adding that the
authority would fully support the bureau in its investigation.
Sikorsky S- 76 aircraft is an American medium -
size commercial utility Helicopter manufactured by the Sikorsky Aircraft
Corporation. It features twin turbo shaft engines; four- blades, main and tail
rotors with a retractable landing gear.
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