A Bell 206-B3 helicopter with registration number 5N-BQW, which crashed on Salvation Road, Opebi, Lagos State, on Friday, was declared non-airworthy three years ago, SaharaReporters can report.
While two crew members died on the spot, the third person earlier rescued and taken to the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Ikeja, later died.
Documents seen by SaharaReporters showed that the crashed helicopter was declared non-airworthy in 2017 by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority.
The aircraft was also used in the past by different Nigerian airline operators to dupe NCAA into issuing them Air Operators’ Certificates.
The AOC, which authorises an operator to carry out specific commercial air transport operations, is issued once the NCAA was satisfied that the operator had the required personnel, assets, and systems to ensure the safety of its employees and general public.
An operator applying for AOC is required to have an air transport license from the NCAA, which permits it to operate scheduled passenger or cargo air services in the country.
