Retired Group Capt. John Ojikutu, has faulted the Air
Traffic Controller (ATC) on duty at the Lagos Airport for failing to take
control of the ill-fated Dana Air plane before it crashed at Iju-Ishaga on June
3.

Ojikutu, who was giving evidence at the inquest into the
crash, also faulted the nation’s emergency plan on air crashes.

The retired group captain, who has 26 years experience as an
air traffic controller, wondered why the Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB)
report was silent on the communication between the aircraft and the control
tower in Kano.

He said from the transcripts of the conversation between the
control tower in Lagos and the pilot of the iplane, there were gaps in what
transpired.

“The court was only given 13 minutes excerpt of what was supposed
to be about 44 minutes of conversation between the towers and the pilot,” he
told the coroner, Magistrate Komolafe Oyetade.

According to him, the missing 21 minutes recording will have
provided more clues into what happened before the plane lost its two engines.

Ojikutu said that the ATC on duty did not respond
immediately he got a distress call from the pilot.

“And when he ought to have taken charge of the emergency
response, he handed over to a subordinate,” he said, noting that he should have
handed over to a superior authority.

He alleged that emergency operation in the case of the Dana
crash clearly showed that the ATC did not respond until it was too late.

Ojikutu also said that the Nigerian Airspace Management
Agency (NAMA) did not have sufficient manpower and the last time it trained its
staff was more than 15 years ago.

He faulted the safety and emergency management operation
plan on air crashes in the aviation industry.

The retired group captain said that there was a need to
empower all local governments to be equipped to cater for emergencies of such
magnitude before the arrival of state and federal agencies.

According to him, virtually all emergency units that
responded to the Dana crash were clueless on how to put out an air plane fire.

“We don’t fight aircraft fire with water, but from the video
footages of that day, I noticed they were using water and that didn’t help a
bit,” he said.

Ojikutu told the coroner that a substance called foam
chemical should have been used.

He also observed that too many residential buildings were
close to the airport and they endangered safe landing of aircraft.

Ojikutu suggested that the government should demolish all
such buildings and compensate the owners in order to make the Ikeja airport
safer for landing.

The inquest continues.