Rivers Helicopter Crash: Black Box, Data Recorder Recovered – NSIB

The Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) announced on Friday that the black box, including both the flight data recorder (FDR) and cockpit voice recorder (CVR), from a helicopter that crashed has been recovered.

Naija News reports that the incident occurred on October 24, involving a Sikorsky SK76 helicopter operated by East Wind Aviation and contracted by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited. The helicopter went down in Rivers State.

Two weeks following the tragic event, NSIB’s Director of Public Affairs and Family Assistance, Bimbo Oladeji, confirmed that the black box was retrieved early on Friday.

Oladeji noted that the successful recovery was made possible through the joint efforts of the NSIB and their Search and Recovery partners, which included NNPC, the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), the Nigerian Navy, and HydroDive.

“The Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB), in collaboration with NNPC, NIMASA, the Nigerian Navy, and HydroDive, has successfully recovered the Flight Data Recorder (FDR) and Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) from the Sikorsky SK76 helicopter, registration 5N BQG, which crashed into the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Bonny Finima on October 24, 2024.

“Since the accident, the NSIB and its partners have been coordinating a search and recovery operation, working alongside local and international collaborators to locate and retrieve the bodies of the victims as well as crucial components required for a thorough investigation.

“The FDR and CVR, commonly known as the aircraft’s ‘black box,’ were successfully retrieved early this morning,” the statement detailed.