Black box of crashed helicopter in P’Harcourt found, two passengers still missing 

A flight data recorder otherwise called back box of the helicopter that crashed in Rivers State two weeks ago has been recovered.

The Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) confirmed this in a statement.

The helicopter operated by East Wind Aviation and hired by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited crashed on October 24 while travelling from the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) base in Port Harcourt.

The aircraft, carrying six passengers and two crew members, went down in the Atlantic Ocean near Bonny Finima, off the coast of Calabar, around 11:22am.

A week later, the NSIB reported that a fifth body was recovered from the site of the crash.

In a statement on Friday, Bimbo Oladeji, NSIB director, public affairs and consumer protection, confirmed that the flight data recorder (FDR) and cockpit voice recorder (CVR), the black box, were retrieved from the site.

Oladeji said the bureau, in collaboration with Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), and other search and recovery partners, coordinated efforts with both local and international teams to locate and retrieve the bodies of the deceased and essential components necessary for a full investigation.

“The FDR and CVR, commonly referred to as the aircraft’s ‘black box,’ was retrieved early this morning,” Oladeji said.

NCAA insists airlines must compensate for flight disruptions, baggage loss

The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has affirmed that passengers are entitled to compensation for flight delay, cancellation, luggage delay, missing or loss by airlines.

Michael Achimugu, the NCAA director of public affairs and consumer protection stated this at a news conference on Thursday in Abuja.

According to him, passengers are entitled for first needs payment of N10,000 on domestic flights when passenger’s luggage is missing and 170 U.S dollars on international flights while the luggage is being searched for.

“For domestic flights, the airline has one day to seven days to search for the missing luggage while on international flights, the airline has one day to 21 days to search for the luggage.

“A luggage is said to be lost if not found after seven days search on domestic flights and 21 days search international flights.

The process for compensation for missing g luggage commences after the said luggage is declared missing. Any fees paid for that luggage must also be refunded,” he said.

The director said the refunds for tickets on cancelled or delayed flights should be paid immediately, if payment was made in cash or within 14 days if it was by bank transfer or any means other than transfer.

According to him, refunds via means other than cash must be made within 14 days. However, some delay might be experienced from submission of required documents for the passenger.

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Contributing, the NCAA director of special duties, Horatius Egua, urged passengers to know their rights regarding the aviation sector.

He stated that challenges the authority encountered included, lack of awareness among passengers, limited enforcement of consumer rights, inadequate infrastructure and corruption.

“NCAA has emphasised increased passenger education and awareness, strengthening of regulatory agencies, improved airline customer service and enhanced infrastructure development

“By knowing your rights as a consumer, you can advocate for better treatment and services in Nigeria’s aviation sector,” he said.

On her part, Ifueko Abdulmalik, the senior special adviser to the NCAA acting director general, Capt. Chris Najomo, said the airline ought to provide clear terms and conditions and also ensure timely departure and arrival.

According to her, airline obligations are to provide adequate baggage handling, offer compensation for delays, cancellations, or overbooking and maintain safe and secure aircraft.

“Passengers have rights to know flight schedule, fare, and baggage allowance; right to compensation for flight delays; right to refund for unused tickets (within 7 days) and right to baggage protection.

“Common Issues from the passengers include, flight delays and cancellations, baggage loss, damage, or delay, overbooking and denied boarding, refund and compensation disputes,“ she said.

NCAA insists airlines must compensate for flight disruptions, baggage loss

(NAN)