Opebi Crash: There Was No Fuel In The Helicopter’s Tank, Says AIB |The Source

By Uche Mbah

Preliminary reports by the Accidents Investigations Bureau, AIB, on the crashed helicopter at Opebi area of Lagos, is out: There was no fuel in the tank.

Recall that a Bell 206B III Helicopter with nationality and registration numbers  5N-BQW operated by Quorum Aviation Limited (QAL) Helicopter crashed into the roof of a building and a wall fence impacting two vehicles parked in the compound at Salvation Street Opebi on 28th August 2020.

In its initial report released Monday, September 21, 2020, the Bureau said the chopper had no capacity for offloading fuel. But it was found out that there was no fuel in the tank.

The aircraft never applied for an exemption for proficiency check from the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA. However, the helicopter was said to have had a valid Certificate of Airworthiness. The Aircraft Maintenance Engineers’ License is Valid till 14th February 2022  and Aircraft Category A&C ratings were also in order:

Agusta/Bell 206, Bell 212, Sikorsky  S76, and Eurocopter EC 155 helicopters.

The validity of the Certificate of Airworthiness of the chopper was till 29th October 2020.

“On 27th August 2020, a Bell 206B III helicopter with nationality and registration marks 5N-BQW, operated by Quorum Aviation Limited, was topped up with 247 liters of fuel to full tank capacity on ground Port Harcourt Military airport (DNPM). The technical logbook entry revealed that there was an engine run for 10 minutes and a test flight of 20 minutes in preparation for a positioning flight the next day“, the report read.

“The helicopter was topped to full tank capacity on 27th August 2020. After refueling, 10 minutes of engine run and 20 minutes of test flight were carried out on 27th August 2020 at Port Harcourt.   The helicopter was fitted with a range-extender fuel system.  No fuel jettisoning capability on this helicopter.

“The helicopter has an endurance of 3:24h. The operational flight plan filed by the pilot indicated an endurance of 3:15h and an estimated flight time of 2:45h. The helicopter engine was started at 09:15h. The helicopter took off at 09:20h. The helicopter crashed at 12:14h. There was no fuel left in the fuel tanks after the crash. The mast and main rotor blades were found intact during the post-crash inspection.”

According to the report,  “The Pilot’s last medical examination was valid until 6th August 2020. There was no evidence to show that an application for the exemption provided by the All Operators’ Letter AOL DG020/20 had been submitted to the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority.

The only three souls on the flight, including the Pilot list their lives in the accident.