Ebun Francis| The Bell 206-B3 helicopter with registration marks 5N-BW, which crashed in the Ikeja area of Lagos state on August 28, may have come down owing to inadequate fuel in its tank.
A 15-page report released by the Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) on Monday, said initial findings include that the helicopter had a valid certificate of airworthiness and was topped to full-tank capacity on August 27 after which a 20-minute test-flight was conducted.
AIB’s report also noted that the helicopter had no fuel jettisoning capacity contrary to claims by an eyewitness who on the day of the crash tols media outlets that the pilot released fuel from above, before the crash.
The report added that the ill-fated aircraft had an endurance of three hours and 15 minutes and a flight time of two hours and 45 minutes.
The aircraft, on August 28, flew for almost three hours and crashed with no fuel left in its tanks.
The investigation is still ongoing, the accident agency said.
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