NCAA Investigates Landing of Helicopter on Lagos-Benin Highway …We responded to medical emergency, says TAL
The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has
said it is investigating the landing of helicopter on the Ore-Lagos expressway
last Sunday.
The helicopter with registration number 5N-BVQ and
aircraft type AW139 landed at the middle of the road and picked an individual.
From the viral video that has been circulating,
security operatives were on ground to stop the movement of vehicles to create space
for the helicopter to land.
In a statement signed by its spokesman, Sam
Adurogboye, NCAA said it was fully aware of the viral video of the helicopter
landing on the highway.
“Initial reports indicated that the helicopter is
owned by Tropical Arctic Logistics Limited with registration number 5N-BVQ and
aircraft type AW13.
“The pilot was compelled to land between Benin and
Ore in an unscheduled diversion to air-lift someone. NCAA has commenced
full-scale investigation to ascertain the circumstances surrounding the
unscheduled diversion. As soon as the investigation is concluded, the outcome
will be made public,” the regulatory authority said.
Tropical Arctic Logistics Limited (TAL), however,
told THISDAY that it operated medical emergency and rescued a person who was
suffering from heart attack.
A senior official of the company told THISDAY that
the helicopter obtained flight approval to land and take the ill person to
hospital.
According to the official, “What happened was that
we conducted medical emergency. Someone had a heart attack, and we came and
took him to hospital. We are happy we saved his life. We got flight approval
and we followed the procedure. We are going to put everything on record. We are
known to carry out medical emergency and we also move doctors too,”
THISDAY also learnt from pilots who operate
helicopters that the flying vehicle is meant to land anywhere.
“But you submit your flight plan and tell the
Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) where you are going so that you will
not collide with another aircraft in the air. So the pilot of the helicopter
must have told them he was going to Ore. A helicopter can land anywhere; so the
aircraft has not defaulted any law by doing that,” one of the pilots told
THISDAY.
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