As part its efforts to ensure safety on the ground side in the aviation industry in Nigeria, Accident Investigation Bureau of Nigeria (AIB-N) has recommended that all personnel of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) assigned to drive vehicles in all Nigerian airports should be adequately and properly profiled and provided with Airside driving and compliance trainings.
The recommendation was made public in Abuja on Thursday by the AIB-N Commissioner/CEO Engr. Akin Olateru in Abuja during the release of the final reports of two accidents and serious incidents that occurred in the Aviation industry between 2018 and 2020.
The AIB’s safety Bulletin-Report was on the ground collision involving a Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Truck with registration AKD765FK and Nigeria Air Force (NAF) Bell 412 Helicopter with registration NAF 600 which occurred at Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport, Abuja on June 15, 2020.
AIB-N, in the Bulletin-Report on the ground collision, said its investigators were dispatched to the scene of the Incident immediately it it was reported.
After thorough investigation, AIB-N affirmed that the CBN truck was conveying cargo to a CBN chattered Boeing 737-400 with nationality and registration marks 5N-RKT. The investigation agency insisted that the truck driver did not see the rotor blade of the helicopter and thought he was far enough to pass through without touching the helicopter itself.
It said, “Misjudgment of the distance between the trailed compartment of the truck and the helicopter main rotors, coupled with the driver’s inability to see the tips of the main rotor blades of the helicopter was the major cause of the incident which occurred 15:30 hours in daylight,”AIB-N said in the report.
It added “that the contributory factors to the incident were: that the truck driver was not professionally, technically qualified to operate the truck at the airside.
That lack of training and proper sensitization of CBN personnel (drivers, security, operations) accessing the airside.
And Inadequate oversight on CBN personnel (drivers, security, operations) accessing the airside by Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).
AIB-N therefore in issuing its five safety recommendations to forestall future occurrences of such incidents in the nation’s airports, said “Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) should ensure that all CBN personnel assigned to drive vehicles in all Nigerian airports are adequately and properly profiled and provided with Airside driving and compliance. It also said that all CBN operated vehicles, equipment and personnel assigned to operate within or drive vehicles or access all Nigerian Airports are provided with appropriate Apron permit and access cards for identification and proper operational control at the airside of all Nigerian airports.
The investigation agency also recommended that FAAN should ensure that all CBN personnel assigned to drive vehicles at all Nigerian Airports are provided with Airside driving and compliance training even as it said that
Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) should ensure that agencies and organizations operating at the airside adhere strictly to all provisions of the Airside Vehicle Control Manual (AVCM).
AIB-N also recommended that
Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) should intensify its oversight on FAAN as regards the operation of vehicles on the Airside.
