Wednesday, 3 February 2016

Crew members, passengers survive Bristow helicopter crash




The crew members and passengers aboard a chartered Bristow helicopter with registration No. 5NBJQ, flying from Port Harcourt to Lagos on Wednesday survived crash of the chopper.

Premium Times gathered that the helicopter was flying from Port Harcourt to Lagos when the crash occurred. The crash site was not immediately confirmed but an official of Bristow company said details of the crash would be made known to the public.

The Accident Investigation Bureau said that crew members and passengers aboard a chartered Bristow helicopter which crashed on Wednesday while flying from Port Harcourt survived the accident.

Tunji Oketunbi, the spokesperson for the Bureau told PREMIUM TIMES on telephone that all occupants of the craft survived the accident.
“They all survived, they all survived,” the AIB spokesperson, Tunji Oketunbi told Premium Times on telephone.

Meanwhile, the authority of Bristow Helicopters, in a statement on Wednesday afternoon said one of the company's helicopter was involved in water landing at about 10.25 am while returning from offshore platform.

Bristow Helicopters has given details of the accident involving one of its aircraft on Wednesday, saying the helicopter actually landed on water.

In a statement on Wednesday afternoon, the company said the helicopter got involved in water landing in Lagos while returning from an offshore platform. The statement said the nine passengers on board and a crew of two “are accounted for and in the process of being transferred to a nearby installation”.

The statement from Bristow Helicopters (Nigeria) Limited said: “The aircraft, a Sikorsky S-76C++, had departed on a routine crew transfer flight offshore with nine passengers and a crew of two.

“All persons onboard are accounted for and in the process of being transferred to a nearby installation.

“The company is in the process of collecting pertinent information and will release more details as soon as it is available.”

The spokesperson, Accident Investigation, Mr. Tunji Oketunbi told Premium Times on telephone that all occupants of the craft survived the accident.

“They all survived, they all survived,” he said.
"A S76 C++ helicopter marked 5N-BQJ belonging to Bristow Helicopters, which departed ERHA Platform enroute Lagos ditched into the Atlantic Ocean 95 nautical miles into destination at about 10:20am local time.

“All the eleven souls on board including two crew members were rescued alive. Accident Investigation Bureau AIB has commenced investigation into the occurrence. Details will be communicated to you later.”

This is the second incident in less than six months when one of the helicopters of the company crash into Lagos lagoon on August 12, 2015, killing 6 of the 12 passengers on board.

- Rexinews

- Premium Times

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