Dana Crash: Group Absolves NCAA Of Negligence

A group of retired pilots and aeronautical engineers that
goes by the name concerned Aviation Professionals has absolved the Nigeria
Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) of any blame over the crash of DANA Air flight
on June 7, in Lagos.

The spokesman of the group, Captain Tito Omaghiomi told
newsmen in Lagos that the fact that the aircraft just returned from maintenance
checks two days before indicated that it was fit to fly and blamed the accident
on the inability of the pilots to follow their check list for such emergency.

According to him, NCAA has nothing to prove again for this
unfortunate accident that happened and that is why the International Civil
Aviation Organisation is celebrating the country and has recommended Nigeria’s
safety model to other countries in Africa.

“The Director-General of NCAA, Dr. Harold Demuren has done
well for the country in ensuring that the nation’s airspace was safe.

So NCAA has no fault in this matter, unless we want to make
laws now that every aeroplane that flies in our airspace must have NCAA
examiner on board just like FAA (the Federal Aviation Administration of US)
does once in a while”, he said.

He stated that the Dana crash could have been averted if the
captain of the flight had done his job very well, noting that the crash
occurred as a result of unprofessional conduct of the pilots.

He explained that the pilots of the ill-fated fight did not
follow the aircraft checklist that could have assisted them when they
experienced the crisis, saying that emergency does not kill, but the fate of
the people on board is determined by the action of the pilot who it is his
responsibility to take all the decisions.

“Emergency doesn’t kill, it is the action or inaction of the
pilot that causes most plane crashes. In fact, what they did as far as I am
concerned in the Dana plane crash is a cowboy operation”, he said.