AIB recovers black boxes of crashed helicopter

The Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) on Friday,  announced that the flight recorders of the Sikosky 76 helicopter which crashed into the Lagos lagoon in Oworonshoki on Wednesday, have been recovered.

The Sikosky 76 helicopter marked 5N-BGD and operated by Bristow Helicopters was believed to have departed SEDCO oil platform offshore and crashed shortly before it was due to land at the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Ikeja, Lagos.

According to Tunji Oketunbi, AIB spokesman, the search party led by Julius Berger ,with the assistance of a hired diver located the recorders, which are expected to assist the investigators in unraveling the cause of the accident in which six passengers, including two crew members died.

Six other passengers are receiving treatment at a private hospital.

The Flight Data Recorder (FDR) contains data generated from different parts of the aircraft ,including the engines and the avionics, while the Cockpit Voice Recorder will unveil conversations within the cockpit and between the pilots and the Control Tower.

The biggest part of the wreckage of the ill fated aircraft was recovered on Tuesday but without the black boxes.

The search was resumed on Wednesday.

According to AIB, investigation has extended to retrieving documents and other materials from Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) Nigerian Airspace Management Agency

(NAMA) and the airline operator.

Other information will be released to the public as they unfold and according to International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) Annexe 13.