Date:	Thursday 24 October 2024
Time:	c 11:26 LT
Type:	Sikorsky S-76C+
Owner/operator:	Eastwind Aviation
Registration:	5N-BQG
MSN:	760486
Year of manufacture:	1998
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 8 / Occupants: 8
Other fatalities:	0
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Category:	Accident
Location:	1 km from FPSO Nuim Atan, Gulf of Guinea -   Nigeria
Phase:	Initial climb
Nature:	Offshore
Departure airport:	DNPM
Destination airport:	Nuim Atan Offshore Installation
Investigating agency:	NSIB
Confidence Rating:	Information verified through data from accident investigation authorities

Narrative:
An East Wind Aviation Sikorsky S-76C+ helicopter, 5N-BQG, impacted the sea <1 km from FPSO Nuim Atan in block OML 123 south of Calabar, Cross River State. The last communication with the aircraft was at about 10:25UTC when the crew reported ETA in 5 minutes. There were eight persons on board, all are presumed dead. Five bodes have been recovered so far. The wreckage has been located.

The helicopter, contracted by Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC), had departed from Port Harcourt Nigerian Air Force Base ('PH NAF Base' / DNPM) to the Nuim Atan Offshore Installation.

The aircraft had encountered poor visibility and was climbing to divert back to DNPM.

At 11:20:41 h, the PF made a remark about the weather: Eight miles broken, you can't see nothing. The PM replied, "Sir, confirm we are not diverting from here," which was not acknowledged by the PF. At 11:21:48 h, The PM called out altitude captured, which the PF acknowledged. At 11:22:41 h, the PF instructed the PM to set the altitude to 2000 ft, initiate a climb, disengage Airspeed hold, and engage altitude pre-select again to 2000 ft so that they could return to DNPM, which the PM acknowledged in the affirmative. At 11:23:32 h, the PM made a remark about the weather. He said, "It's a light shower", followed by a sarcastic chuckle. The PF made a remark, "Climb, Climb, Climb," to which the PM replied, "We are climbing, eh." The PM advised the PF that the only way to climb was to engage airspeed mode and use the collective. At 11:23:45 h, the PM further advised the PF, "Hold there, left pedal put left pedal Okay." The PM then suggested to the PF whether the vertical speed (rate of climb) could be increased to 300 ft/min, which the PF acknowledged in the affirmative, "Yeah, increase it." At 11:24:52 h, the PM remarked, "This thing is not working …” This was followed by an aural warning from the aircraft, "Bank angle, Bank angle," which was the last recorded data on the CVR.

https://thewillnews.com/we-engaged-crashed-east-wind-aviation-helicopter-nnpc-limited/
https://nsib.gov.ng/241024-nsib-launches-investigation-into-helicopter-ditching-incident-near-bonny-finima-interim-statement-1611/
https://gatekeepersnews.com/2024/10/25/helicopter-crash-we-have-recovered-two-more-bodies-nsib
https://federalcharacter.com/nsib-confirms-recovery-of-more-bodies-from-port-harcourt-helicopter-crash/
https://nsib.gov.ng/ova_doc/nsib-clarifies-number-of-recovered-bodies-following-helicopter-ditching-incident-near-bonny-finima-news-release-20241027/
https://nsib.gov.ng/october-25-2024-update-on-helicopter-incident-near-bonny-finima-interim-statement-261024/
https://nsib.gov.ng/october-27-2024-briefing-update-on-helicopter-ditching-incident-near-bonny-finima-news-release-20241027/
https://nsib.gov.ng/october-30-2024-briefing-update-on-helicopter-ditching-accident-near-bonny-finima-five-bodies-recovered-so-far-news-release-20241030/
https://nsib.gov.ng/search-and-recovery-team-locates-wreckage-of-ditched-sikorsky-sk76-helicopter-news-release-20241101/
https://nsib.gov.ng/sikorsky-sk76-helicopter-5n-bqg-ditching-nsib-dg-chairman-house-committee-on-aviation-assure-transparency-accountability-in-ongoing-investigation-news-release-20241102/
https://nsib.gov.ng/sikorsky-sk76-helicopter-5n-bqg-accident-black-box-recovered-as-search-continues-for-three-missing-news-release-20241108/
https://maritimeoptima.com/public/vessels/pages/imo:8412974/mmsi:563030000/FPSO_NUIM_ANTAN.html
https://bea.aero/en/investigation-reports/notified-events/detail/accident-to-the-sikorsky-s76c-registered-5n-bqg-on-24-10-2024-near-port-harcourt-nigeria/
https://nigerianflightdeck.com/crashed-eastwind-helicopter-black-box-not-fitted-with-fdr-report/
https://aerossurance.com/helicopters/s76c-5nbqg-eastwind-nigeria-241024/
https://nsib.gov.ng/wp-content/uploads/ninja-forms/3/Preliminary-Report-10.pdf

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 24TH, 2024

PRESS STATEMENT BY THE OFFICE OF HONOURABLE MINISTER OF AVIATION AND AEROSPACE DEVELOPMENT, FESTUS KEYAMO, SAN, ON THE ACCIDENT INVOLVING A HELICOPTER IN PORT HARCOURT ON 24TH OCTOBER, 2024

The Federal Ministry of Aviation has received the…

— Festus Keyamo, SAN, CON, FCIArb (UK) (@fkeyamo) October 24, 2024

The attention of the Authority has been brought to a report by the Sahara
reporters on the airworthiness status of the recently crashed helicopter with registration marks 5N-BQG prior to the crash... pic.twitter.com/BnarFAcqge

— NigeriaCAA (@NigeriaCAA) October 30, 2024

Recovery of wreckage from East Wind Sikorsky S-76C+ 5N-BQGhttps://t.co/FDHJaNrPDB #offshore #helicopter #flightsafety #aviationsafety pic.twitter.com/MDTPCmAtJF

— Aerossurance (@Aerossurance) November 2, 2024

Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) will share details of the findings from the helicopter crash into the Atlantic Ocean near Bonny Finima with the International Maritime Organization (IMO).

Over two weeks after the helicopter on off- shore contract with… pic.twitter.com/RAwyjmbqbn

— FL360aero (@fl360aero) November 11, 2024

NSIB Preliminary Report issued: helicopter diverting after encountering poor visibility aerossurance.com/helicopters/... #offshore #helicopter #accident #flightsafety #aviationsafety

[image or embed]

— Aerossurance (@aerossurance.bsky.social) December 18, 2024 at 9:58 AM

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
24-Oct-2024 14:10	Aerossurance	Added
24-Oct-2024 14:37	Aerossurance	Updated [Aircraft type, Other fatalities, Embed code, ]
24-Oct-2024 14:37	Aerossurance	Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Registration, Cn, Operator, Other fatalities, Nature, Source, Embed code, ]
24-Oct-2024 14:40	Aerossurance	Updated [Total fatalities, Total occupants, Other fatalities, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Embed code, Damage, Narrative, ]
24-Oct-2024 14:45	Aerossurance	Updated [Other fatalities, Source, Narrative, ]
24-Oct-2024 14:47	Aerossurance	Updated [Other fatalities, ]
24-Oct-2024 17:06	ASN	Updated [Other fatalities, Location, Phase, Destination airport, Narrative, ]
24-Oct-2024 17:44	Aerossurance	Updated [Other fatalities, Source, Embed code, ]
25-Oct-2024 06:22	Aerossurance	Updated [Other fatalities, Source, ]
25-Oct-2024 13:33	Anon.	Updated [Total fatalities, Other fatalities, Narrative, ]
25-Oct-2024 14:12	Aerossurance	Updated [Other fatalities, Location, Phase, Source, Damage, Narrative, ]
25-Oct-2024 14:22	Aerossurance	Updated [Other fatalities, Narrative, ]
25-Oct-2024 14:24	Aerossurance	Updated [Other fatalities, Narrative, ]
26-Oct-2024 09:18	Aerossurance	Updated [Other fatalities, Embed code, ]
27-Oct-2024 06:51	Aerossurance	Updated [Other fatalities, Source, ]
28-Oct-2024 06:59	Aerossurance	Updated [Other fatalities, Source, Narrative, ]
28-Oct-2024 20:45	Aerossurance	Updated [Operator, Source, Narrative, ]
31-Oct-2024 07:39	Aerossurance	Updated [Source, Embed code, Narrative, ]
02-Nov-2024 15:38	Aerossurance	Updated [Source, Embed code, Narrative, Category, ]
02-Nov-2024 15:39	Aerossurance	Updated [Embed code, ]
08-Nov-2024 19:44	Aerossurance	Updated [Source, Embed code, ]
11-Nov-2024 13:28	Aerossurance	Updated [Embed code, ]
14-Nov-2024 10:21	Aerossurance	Updated [Time, Source, Embed code, Narrative, ]
18-Dec-2024 07:26	Aerossurance	Updated [Phase, Source, Narrative, ]
18-Dec-2024 09:46	Aerossurance	Updated [Source, ]
18-Dec-2024 09:59	Aerossurance	Updated [Embed code, ]
16-Jan-2025 09:12	ASN	Updated [Embed code, Accident report, ]