Spokesman of NCAA, Sam Adurogboye disclosed this in a statement.
Adurogboye said the investigation was in line with civil aviation international standards and best practices.
He said the investigation will be thorough and will include the review of the videos making the rounds in the social media.
Adurogboye said :” The investigation will be conducted in line with the Nigerian Civil Aviation Regulations (Nig.CARs) 2015. At the conclusion of the investigation, the recommendations will be fully implemented.
“The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) wishes to assure all passengers that all aircraft operating in Nigeria are airworthy (fit to fly). Our Ramp inspections have been strengthened accordingly with the seasonal increase in the volume of passengers.
“All operating airlines are therefore warned to observe the Standard and Recommended Practices (SARPs) as any infractions will be treated in line with the provision of the Regulations.”
In a swift reaction, Air Peace , Monday said its aircraft involved in the incident is airworthy and was not involved in a crash.
Air Peace, however , dismissed
reports alleging that one of its aircraft almost crashed on the
Lagos-Enugu route on Friday, describing the claims as an unfortunate
misrepresentation of facts.
A statement issued by the airline’s
Corporate Communications Manager, Mr. Chris Iwarah on Monday said the
aircraft experienced a change in cabin pressure en-route to Enugu and
its flight crew had to do the normal technical manoeuvre by descending
to a level comfortable enough for passengers on board.
The carrier debunked insinuations
that the aircraft involved in the incident might not have been properly
maintained, explaining that the aircraft secured a renewal of its
certificate of airworthiness (C of A) on December 10.
The aircraft, the airline added,
also went for its mandatory comprehensive maintenance checks (C-checks)
abroad and got its certificate of release to service (CRS) in September
2017. C-checks are normally done on aircraft every 18 months. At the end
of the checks, a CRS is issued to confirm the maintenance done.
Air Peace insisted that its
aircraft were not only maintained at some of the best facilities in the
world, but also had a reputation for spending millions of dollars on
each C-check exercise to ensure its aircraft were in top shape because
of the premium it placed on the lives of its customers and crew.
The carrier said in line with its
strict maintenance and safety standards, it had retained the services of
BCT Aviation of the United Kingdom for its routine maintenance
programme on ground its base in Lagos 24 hours of the day throughout the
year.
The airline described change in
cabin pressure as a common occurrence in aviation across the world,
including Europe and America.
“On Friday, December 14, 2018, our
Lagos-Enugu flight experienced a change in cabin pressure. Where there
is a change in cabin pressure, the oxygen masks will automatically drop
from the panel for use by passengers on board the aircraft. This exactly
was what happened on Friday. During safety briefings, passengers are
advised to pull on the mask to trigger the flow of oxygen. The flow of
oxygen is expected to last about 12 minutes within which the flight crew
would descend to a comfortable altitude (usually below 10000 feet above
sea level). Change in cabin pressure is a common occurrence in aviation
across the world, including the UK and America.
“Once there was a change in cabin
pressure, the oxygen masks on the aircraft automatically deployed. And
in line with standard safety procedure, our flight crew performed a
technical manoeuvre by descending to a level comfortable enough for
passengers on board. We, however, observed cases of some passengers who
did not properly fit their oxygen masks. A few others, perhaps out of
panic, pulled too hard on the oxygen masks, causing the equipment to
snap. This led to the unfortunate claims that there was no flow of
oxygen from the masks. For the avoidance of doubt, the oxygen generators
are part of the items of interest during C-checks. So, it could not
have been right that there was no flow of oxygen.
“While it is quite expected and
understandable that passengers would panic on occurrence of incidents
such as a change in cabin pressure, the claims of a near-crash were a
regrettable misrepresentation of facts which really should not be. The
aircraft was ferried from Enugu back to Lagos in less than an hour of
safely landing at destination. Certainly, no crew would fly an aircraft
that is not airworthy. The aircraft involved in the incident had its
certificate of airworthiness renewed on Monday, December 10, 2018. The
aircraft also went for its mandatory comprehensive maintenance checks
(C-checks) abroad and got its certificate of release to service (CRS) in
September 2017. C-checks are usually done on aircraft every 18 months.
At the end of the checks, a CRS is issued as evidence of the maintenance
done. In line with our strict maintenance and safety standards, we
retain the services of BCT Aviation of the United Kingdom for our
routine maintenance programme on ground our base in Lagos 24 hours of
the day throughout the year.
“We sincerely regret the
inconvenience caused our loyal customers as a result of the incident and
wish to reassure them that we place huge premium on the lives of our
esteemed guests and crew and will never do anything to put them in
harm’s way. We have had four years of accident-free flight operations
and we are very determined to sustain our reputation and record. We
thank members of the public for their generous show of love and trust in
us to continue to deliver exceptional, safe and comfortable flight
services to them,” Air Peace said.
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