Probe begins into incident, Delta Airlines begs AIB

The Commissioner, Accident Investigation Bureau, Akin Olateru,
says investigation has commenced into the serious incident
involving a Delta Airlines’ aircraft.

“We look forward to receiving cooperation from Delta Airlines as
we work to determine the cause of this serious incident in the
interest of safety,” he said.

Olateru stated this on Thursday when a team of the airline’s
officials, including the technical crew of the affected flight and
the Lagos airport station manager led by the Manager, Air Safety
Investigation, Delta Airlines, Miss Shannon Masters, visited the
AIB and apologised for not reporting the incident early.

Masters noted that the delay in reporting the incident to the
bureau was an oversight.

“We sincerely apologise for the error and we promise to
cooperate with the AIB in the investigation of this occurrence,”
she stated.

The AIB had frowned on the US carrier’s failure to notify it of
the serious incident involving its aircraft in line with Nigeria’s
air safety regulations and international practices.

The airline was believed to have notified the United States
National Transportation Safety Board of the occurrence immediately,
in line with the US laws.

Olateru said as the state of occurrence under the International
Civil Aviation Organisation Annex 13, Nigeria should be responsible
for investigating any aircraft incident within its airspace, while
the state of registry of the aircraft and the airline might serve
as observers.

Delta Airlines’ Atlanta-bound Flight 55, which departed Lagos on
Tuesday night, returned some minutes later to the Murtala Muhammed
International Airport following an issue with one of the Airbus
330-200’s two engines.

The Commissioner, Accident Investigation Bureau, Akin Olateru,
says investigation has commenced into the serious incident
involving a Delta Airlines’ aircraft.

“We look forward to receiving cooperation from Delta Airlines as
we work to determine the cause of this serious incident in the
interest of safety,” he said.

Olateru stated this on Thursday when a team of the airline’s
officials, including the technical crew of the affected flight and
the Lagos airport station manager led by the Manager, Air Safety
Investigation, Delta Airlines, Miss Shannon Masters, visited the
AIB and apologised for not reporting the incident early.

Masters noted that the delay in reporting the incident to the
bureau was an oversight.

“We sincerely apologise for the error and we promise to
cooperate with the AIB in the investigation of this occurrence,”
she stated.

The AIB had frowned on the US carrier’s failure to notify it of
the serious incident involving its aircraft in line with Nigeria’s
air safety regulations and international practices.

The airline was believed to have notified the United States
National Transportation Safety Board of the occurrence immediately,
in line with the US laws.

Olateru said as the state of occurrence under the International
Civil Aviation Organisation Annex 13, Nigeria should be responsible
for investigating any aircraft incident within its airspace, while
the state of registry of the aircraft and the airline might serve
as observers.

Delta Airlines’ Atlanta-bound Flight 55, which departed Lagos on
Tuesday night, returned some minutes later to the Murtala Muhammed
International Airport following an issue with one of the Airbus
330-200’s two engines.