By Chinedu Eze
Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) has said that the final reports of the investigation into the crash of Dana Airlines MD 83 aircraft, which occurred at Iju-Ishaga area of Lagos State, Nigeria on 3rd June, 2012 would be released to the public very soon.
The Bureau said in a statement, weekend that the draft final report was sent to the relevant stakeholders for comments and suggestions as required by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) Annex 13 chapter 6.3.
The AIB said efforts at resolving and harmonising the issues raised by the stakeholders’ comments and suggestions have however delayed the release of the report.
According to the statement signed by the Bureau’s spokesman, Mr. Tunji Oketunbi Oketunbi, the issues raised by the stakeholders that required further scientific testing have almost completely been addressed and the final report would be made public very soon.
Over 150 persons died in the flight and since the accident a comprehensive report on the cause of the crash is yet to be made public.
But Oketunbi explained that the interim statement marking the fourth anniversary of the unfortunate tragedy was already on the Bureau’s website, which had already been publicised.
A Boeing MD 83 aircraft, 5N- RAM operated by Dana Airlines on scheduled domestic flight crashed into Iju-Ishaga, a densely populated area on the outskirts of Lagos, following a loss of power on both engines while on approach to Murtala Muhammed International Airport Lagos, Nigeria.
The accident, which occurred on June 3, 2012 at about 1545hours, resulted in the death of all of the 153 persons on board the aircraft including six crew members. There were also six confirmed ground fatalities.
The AIB said with cooperation from National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) of the United States of America (USA) and other stakeholders, it has been working relentlessly to determine the cause of the accident.
