REVEALED: How Pilot, Lost Engines Caused Dana Plane Crash in 2012

The Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) on Monday released its report on the crashes involving Dana Airline, Bristow Helicopters, OAS Heli­copters, and Presidential Aircraft for the Committee on Maritime, Safety, and Security.
In the Dana Air disaster which occurred on June 3, 2012 in Iju, Ishaga area of Lagos, the AIB said that the plane lost its two en­gines before it crashed.

It also blamed the crew mem­bers for contributing to the crash as they ought to land at the near­est suitable airfield.
According to AIB, “engine number 1 lost power 17 minutes into the flight, and thereafter on final approach, engine number 2 lost power and failed to respond to throttle movement on demand for increased power to sustain the aircraft in its flight configuration.”
“The inappropriate omission of the use of the Checklist, and the crew’s inability to appreciate the severity of the power-related problem, and their subsequent failure to land at the nearest suit­able airfield.
“Lack of situation awareness, inappropriate decision-making, and poor airmanship,” the report stated.
AIB Commissioner, Mr. Akin Olateru, who released the report urged the Minister of State for Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika, to use his good offices to create a special fund for accident inves­tigation.
He noted that no matter “how robust the system is accidents must happen because we are hu­mans. The Bureau needs money to explore into accident investi­gations.”
Olateru said that the AIB had made four safety recommen­dations to the Federal Aviation Administration, targeting Pratt & Whitney - the engine man­ufacturer. The second to Dana Air, the third to the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), and the fourth to the Nigeria Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) on quality assurance.
On the accident involving OAS Helicopters (Nig) Limit­ed’s Ecuruiel A 350 B2 Helicop­ter with Registration 5NBKA at Oke-Oba Hill, Ikonifin, Osun State on July 29, 2011, AIB said that the helicopter left base at Maryland at 0925hours for Ilor­in, Kwara State and had its initial contact with Ibadan at 0939hrs.
Olateru explained that the pilot checked abeam Ibadan (West) at 0950hrs and request­ed to climb to 1,500ft on QNH 1014hPa, which was granted, but at 1001hrs, Ibadan Control Tow­er called the pilot to confirm if he had two-way contact with Ilorin Control Tower and there was no reply from the aircraft.
The accident, according to him, occurred at about 1000hrs in daylight with three fatalities. The damage on both the main and the tail rotor blades was con­sistent with engine on power.