Asaba Plane Incident: Flight Recorder Data Lost After Crew Returned to Lagos

The Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) has reported that important data from the flight recorder of a private jet, which made an emergency landing on a road near Asaba Airport, was lost. This happened because the aircraft was flown back to Lagos before investigators could examine it.

NSIB's Director-General, Alex Badeh, shared this information on Friday during an online media briefing. He mentioned that this situation will make it harder for investigators to piece together what happened during the unusual landing.

The incident involved a US-registered Bombardier Challenger 601-3A operated by VMO Aero Limited. This jet landed on a paved road close to Asaba Airport in Delta State on June 10 instead of the designated runway.

The aircraft was flying from Lagos to Asaba under Instrument Flight Rules. It had four crew members and three passengers on board. Thankfully, no one was injured. After the landing, the crew flew the plane back to Lagos before investigators could reach the scene.

Mr. Badeh explained that flying the aircraft back to Lagos caused the flight recorder to overwrite data that could have helped the investigation. He noted that the recorder was supposed to have a longer recording time. Unfortunately, investigators only managed to recover about two hours of low-quality data.

"The rule allows them to have a 26-hour electric recorder, but we discovered that it only recorded for about two hours of low quality," he said. He explained that since the aircraft flew back to Lagos, the recorder deleted vital information that investigators needed.

This has left investigators with limited flight data about the aircraft's movements when it landed on the wrong surface. Mr. Badeh assured that despite the data loss, the investigation will continue, adding that the bureau is using other methods to figure out what happened.

What happened at Asaba

The incident raised questions about why the aircraft landed on a road when it was cleared to land at Asaba Airport. PREMIUM TIMES reported that an early investigation showed the crew had stopped their initial landing approach before trying a second approach to Runway 11.

The crew thought they were correctly aligned with the required navigation procedure before landing on a construction road near the airport rather than on the runway. After the landing, the aircraft left the road and returned to Lagos.

When it arrived in Lagos, the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) grounded the aircraft and suspended VMO Aero Limited’s Permit for Non-Commercial Flight pending investigations. The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, also took note of the incident, calling it a serious security breach.

Mr. Keyamo stated that air traffic control had cleared the aircraft to land on the runway, but it landed on a concrete road outside the airport's secured area. He expressed concern over the crew's decision to leave the scene before investigators could check the aircraft.

Crew flew aircraft back without ATC clearance

Mr. Badeh noted that returning the aircraft to Lagos before investigators arrived created significant challenges for the safety investigation. He pointed out that the pilot flew the plane back without clearance from Air Traffic Control (ATC).

This extra flight caused the recorder to overwrite some data from the original journey. Flight recorders continuously record data, and new information can replace older data when the storage is full. Therefore, the extra flight affected the information needed for investigation.

Mr. Badeh mentioned that the NSIB is still trying to recover as much information as possible using other investigative methods. He also highlighted another issue related to the flight recorder but advised against jumping to conclusions about its cause.

"Although the FTR of the airplane did not work as well, I am not sure what happened, but I think it was part of the cleaning. I’m not sure and I am not going to blame the operators yet," he said. He added that the bureau would wait for the investigation's outcome before making conclusions.

Crew don’t trust investigators

Besides the technical issues caused by the overwritten data, Mr. Badeh pointed out a bigger problem in the aviation industry’s safety culture. He said some pilots and crew members hesitate to give full information to investigators because they fear losing their jobs.

"The crew don’t trust NSIB; they are scared of losing their jobs. It is a major problem we are dealing with," he said. He explained that the bureau does not recommend punishing crew members who share information during safety investigations.

"We do not recommend punitive sanctions, and we constantly assure crew members that nobody should be penalized for telling the truth," Mr. Badeh said. This concern is serious because safety investigations rely on accurate information from flight crews, flight data, cockpit recordings, and air traffic control communications.

When investigators cannot get complete information, it becomes harder to understand what happened and to learn lessons that could stop a similar incident in the future.

NSIB raises funding concerns

Mr. Badeh also used the briefing to express worries about the bureau’s funding and the impact of a proposed cut to its share of the five percent Ticket Sales Charge (TSC). The NSIB is against a proposal by the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) to reduce its share from six percent to four percent.

This proposal was discussed at a public hearing of the House of Representatives and aims to increase NAMA’s budget. The TSC is collected by the NCAA and shared among several aviation agencies.

Mr. Badeh stated that the NSIB already gets the lowest allocation among the relevant agencies. He warned that reducing its share further would create more problems for the bureau. "We already get the lowest percentage of all the agencies. With this proposed reduction, it’s going to severely affect the NSIB," he said.

He added, "The Bureau is already grappling with shortfalls in its current allocation; an additional cut is unsustainable."

ALso read: Asaba aircraft aborted first landing attempt before touching down on construction road, NSIB

The funding issue comes as the NSIB’s responsibilities have grown beyond aviation. The bureau now handles safety investigations in aviation, maritime, rail, and road transport.

Mr. Badeh explained that the NSIB has not received its full six percent allocation since around April or May. Still, he maintained that this funding shortfall has not stopped the bureau from doing its investigations or expanding its operations.

"We are working on a more sustainable funding formula for the NSIB. I’m not sure what that’s going to look like yet, but we are talking with the NRS and the Presidency to figure this out," he said.

The funding challenge also comes as the bureau transitions from the Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development to the Presidency. Mr. Badeh noted that the administrative process is nearly done, with legislative amendments waiting for review by the Attorney-General of the Federation before the Federal Executive Council and the National Assembly consider them.

The House of Representatives previously approved the legislative framework for transferring the bureau to the Presidency. The NSIB is also looking for funding from other transport agencies due to its new responsibilities.

Mr. Badeh mentioned that the bureau has not received applicable funds from the Nigerian Railway Corporation, while the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency disagrees about its obligation to pay certain charges. He praised the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria for its cooperation with the bureau.

The events surrounding the Asaba incident have raised issues beyond just why the aircraft landed on a road. For the NSIB, the investigation now involves piecing together the occurrence despite the loss of critical flight data and examining the reasons behind the crew's decision to leave the scene and return the aircraft to Lagos before investigators arrived.

The bureau's findings are expected to clarify what caused the wrong landing and suggest measures to prevent it from happening again.