Nigeria Records Three Years Of Zero Airplane Crash

 …As US FAA conducts safety Audit

The Nigerian Aviation Industry said it has recorded a three year period of zero accidents in airline operations, according to the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).

This is coming as officials from the United States’ Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) were in Lagos yesterday to conduct a one week recertification of Nigeria’s Category One Certification, which has to do with the compliance of the industry on international safety best practices.

It should be recalled the last aircraft accident in the industry was the chartered aircraft conveying the dead body of former governor Ondo state and a former Minister of Aviation, Olusegun Agagu happened in 2013, in which about 16 persons died in the crash.

The four-man FAA team led by Mr. Louis Alvarez would assess the NCAA’s compliance with sections of International Civil Organization (ICAO) Standards and Recommendation Practices (SARPs) as contained in Annexes 1, 6, Part 1 and 8 said the NCAA. Annex 1 included general policies, procedures and definitions, while Annex 6 and 8 dealt with approved maintenance organization and Annex 8 has to do with flight operations respectively. This involves using the current International Aviation Safety Assessment (IATA) checklist and ICAO guidance material to assess the states’ aviation law, regulations and oversight capability.

This audit is in accordance with the eight safety critical elements as defined in the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) document 9734 which include legislation, regulations, organization, technical staff, quality and training. It also includes the technical guidance, tools, licensing, certification, continuous surveillance and resolution of safety concerns.

The Director-General of NCAA, Capt. Muhtar Usman, who received the FAA team at the NCAA corporate office in Lagos, said Nigeria attained the FAA’s International Safety Assessment Audit (IASA) seven years ago, adding that the nation’s aviation industry has benefited immensely from the certification.

He said that the NCAA would be expected to complete the latest IASA checklist and return the completed form to the FAA before the team’s arrival.

“Our visitors came calling in 2014. Aviation industry in Nigeria went through another FAA recertification. Nigeria acquitted itself creditably. Let me assure you once again Nigeria will similarly excel”, Muhtar said.

According to Muhtar , the whole aviation community was ultrasensitive to safety issues adding that all over the world, agencies and personnel connected with safety are demonstrating an uncanny dexterity, even as he said Nigeria now has a record of three years of zero accident.