As Nigerians, the shock and trauma of the Dana air crash on Sunday, June 3, 2012, at Iju, a suburb of Lagos metropolis, in Lagos State which killed all 146 passengers, seven crew members on board and an unconfirmed number of people on the ground, will remain with us for a long time. As the nation struggles to comprehend this profound loss, the Right to Know Initiative (R2K) condoles with the families who have been bereaved by this sad incident.

While we mourn as a nation it is important to seek reasons for this unfortunate accident. Gathering information on why an accident occurred may contribute to closure but beyond that it will help avoid similar accidents in the future. Where there is a case of negligence, those involved need to take responsibility for their actions. The statutory right to know is a right, not only for the victims’ families but also for all citizens.

It is for this reason that R2K is launching this campaign for access to the reports of air crash investigations in Nigeria. It will be recalled that in 1989, during the regime of General Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida, the Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) was created under the Federal Ministry of Aviation. The Nigerian AIB is responsible for the investigation of civil aircraft accidents and serious incidents within Nigeria. The Civil Aviation Act 2006 is the primary law that established the Accident Investigation Bureau as an autonomous agency that reports to the President through the Minister responsible for Air Transportation.

In the 13 years since its creation, there have been over 50 Aircraft accidents. The AIB published on its website, between 2008 and 2009, twenty-four (24) air crash investigation reports as follows:

1. AIB INTERIM REPORT ON BEECHCRAFT 1900D ACCIDENT TO BEECHCRAFT 1900D REGISTRATION 5N-JAH AT BUSHI VILLAGE IN OBANLINKU LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OFCROSS RIVER STATE, NIGERIA ON 15TH MARCH, 2008.
2. CIA 129 AIRBUS A-310 ACCIDENT REPORT
3. CIA 156 CONCORD AIRLINES FAIRCHILD FH 227B AIRCRAFT
4. 04/365 CHANCHANGI AIRLINES'S BOEING 737-200
5. 04/375 EXPRESS AIRWAYS AIRCRAFTBANDEIRANTE EMB 110
6. 04/350 DASSAULT AVION FALCON 20F REGISTERED 5N-EPN
7. CIA 171 THE PMAS DO-228-201 AIRCRAFT REGISTERED 5N ARI
8. FMA/AIPB/424 SOSOLISO AIRLINES DC 9-32 AIRCRAFT
9. ALOUETTE II S. A. 3180 NEAR WARRI AERODROME CIVIL AIRCRAFT ACCIDENT REPORT ON ALOUETTE II S. A. 3180
10. CIA. 148 THE OKADA AIR BAC 1-11 REGISTERED 5N-AOT
11. CIA 161 BRISTOW HELICOPTER (NIG.) LTD
12. 04/368 CESSNA CITATION 501 AIRCRAFT
13. ADC FLIGHT 086 BOEING 727 5N-BBG THE PANEL OF INVESTIGATION 11W0
14. 04/354 REPORT ON THE ACCIDENT TO BOEING 737 AIRCRAFT REGISTERED 5N-AUA THAT CRASHED AT THE NEW KADUNA AIRPORT ON MONDAY THE 13TH NOVEMBER 1995.
15. FMA/AIPB/383 FINAL REPORT ON THE ACCIDENT TO THE SKY EXECUTIVE AVIATION SERVICES' LET410-UVP AIRCRAFT REGISTERED 9Q-CGX ON THE APPROACH TO CALABAR AIRPORT ON TUESDAY 21" MAY 2002
16. 04/375 FINAL REPORT ON THE ACCIDENT TO THE EXPRESS AIRWAYS AIRCRAFT BANDEIRANTE EMB 110 REGISTERED 5N-AXM ON FINAL APPROACH TO KADUNA AIRPORT
17. 04/344 REPORT ON THE ACCIDENT TO THE NIGERIA AIRWAYS LTD'S BOEING 707 - 320C ON MONDAY THE 19TH DECEMBER 1994 AT KIRI KASAMA, HADEIJA LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA
18. REPORT ON ADC AIRLINES (LIBERIA) 5N-BBE-DC-9-31 18 AUGUST 1994 AT JAMES SPRIGGS PAYNE AIRFIELD
19. CIA 119REPORT ON THE ACCIDENT TO ALOUETTE III HELICOPTER REGISTERED 5N-ALD AT MEREN 24 OFF-SHORE LANDING PAD (JACKET) ON FRIDAY THE 6TH OF DECEMBER,1985.
20. 04/369 FINAL REPORT ON THE ACCIDENT TO THE PAN AFRICAN AIRLINES CESSNA 208 CARAVAN I AMPHIBIAN AIRCRAFT REGISTERED 5N-PAN AT WARRI AIRSTRIP ON THE 25TH NOVEMBER, 1998.
21. CIA 122 BELL 206B JET RANGER III HELICOPTER REGISTERED 5N-AQC AT A LOCATION OF IFIRA ON SATURDAY THE 26TH OF APRIL 1986.
22. CIA 169 NIGERIA POLICE FORCE'S BELL 412 HELICOPTER
23. INCIDENT: PRELIMINARY REPORT ON THE INCIDENT INVOLVING SA 365 N3 DAUPHINS2 HELICOPTER 5N-BJF OF AERO CONTRACTORS COMPANY OF NIGERIA LIMITED
24. AIB INTERIM REPORT ON BEECHCRAFT 1900D ACCIDENT TO BEECHCRAFT 1900D REGISTRATION 5N-JAH AT BUSHI VILLAGE IN OBANLINKU LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OFCROSS RIVER STATE, NIGERIA ON 15TH MARCH, 2008

Click here to read the available AIB reports.

Since March 2009, however no report has been published on the AIB website. Notably, information on the following reported crashes is unavailable on the AIB website;

1. July 29, 2011: A Kwara State-bound helicopter crashed in Osun State killing all on board including the Managing Director of Josepdam Group of Companies, Mrs. Josephine Oluwadamilola Kuteyi and her personal assistant.
2. March 8, 2011: HS-125 chartered aircraft crashed in Bauchi. No casualty.
3. March 15, 2008: A twin-turbo Prop 19-seater aircraft belonging to Wings Aviation Ltd crashed in Calabar while on a routine flight from MMA, Lagos.
4. October 29, 2006: Aviation Development Corporation Airline Boeing 737 with 104 on board crashed minutes after take-off from Abuja’s airport. All but 6 perished in the disaster.
5. September 17, 2006: A 18-seater Dornier 228 Air Force transport plane, carrying 15 senior army officers and three crew members crashed in Benue State, leaving only three survivors.
6. September 16 2006: Air Force plane crashed in Benue State killing Army generals.
7. November 10, 2006: A six-seater helicopter belonging to Odengene Air Shuttle (OAS) crashed in Delta State and killed two people
8. October 29, 2006: An ADC aircraft crashed when it took off from Abuja, killing 105 people on board.
9. October 22, 2005: A Bellview Airlines Boeing 737 with 117 people on board crashed shortly after take-off from Lagos. All on board killed.
10. July 23, 2005, a Lufthansa aircraft crash-landed at Lagos airport and was badly damaged, but no life was lost.
11. July 6, 2005, Port Harcourt: An Air France A330 plane crashed into a herd of cattle at Port Harcourt airport, sustaining serious damage and killing many of the cows.
12. June 24, 2005: A Russian aircraft belonging to Harka Air crash- landed at the MMA, all the people on board died
13. June 11/12, 2005: Lagos: a Boeing 727-200 aircraft belonging to the domestic Chanchangi Airlines overshot the runway at Murtala Muhammed Airport, while yet another overshot the runway at the airport in Jos in central Nigeria a day earlier.
14. February 25, 2005: ADC’s B73 aircraft had its tyre burnt while landing at Yola Airport.
15. January 28, 2005: A Nigeria Air Force fighter plane crashed into a farmland in YarKanya, Kano State.
16. December 29, 2004: A Boeing 727 of Chanchangi Airlines belly-landed at the MMA.
17. July 26, 2004: Pan African Airlines’ helicopter crashed into the Atlantic Ocean in Eacraros, Delta State, killing four persons on board
18. March 6, 2004: An Aenail spray aircraft with registration number 5NBEF belonging to Berfieex Nigeria Ltd, crashed at the Bauchi Airpor
19. May 4, 2002: Executive Airline Services (EAS) BAC-1-11-525Ft aircraft crashed at Aminu Kano International Airport Kano, killing 70 people
20. March 14, 2002: A helicopter belonging to the Joint Task Force (JTF) crashed in Kabong, Jos, killing all members onboard including four senior police officers
21. May 4, 2002: EAS Airlines’ BAC 1-11-500 with 105 people on board crashed and burst into flames in a densely populated suburb of Kano, killing 76 on board and 72 on the ground bringing total casualties to 148
22. October 26, 2000: Dornier aircraft plunged into a thick bush near the Niger Delta, 6 occupants injured.
23. September 12, 1997: A NAF Dornier 228-212 in Nguru, Bornu State ran into a ditch during the takeoff, none of the 10 people died.
24. January 31, 1997: SkyPower Express Airways Embraer 110PIA crashes on landing in Yola killing 5
25. November 7, 1996: A Nigerian ADC (Aviation Development Corporation) Airline Boeing 727-231 flying from Port Harcourt to Lagos with 142 passengers and 9 crew members crashed on landing, plunging into a lagoon with all on board killed
26. January 17, 1996: Ibrahim Abacha, son of SaniAbacha, was killed in a plane crash. The group "United Front for Nigeria's Liberation" (UFNL) claimed responsibility for the crash
27. June 24, 1995: Harka Air Services Tupolev 34 crashes on landing in Lagos killing 16.
28. September 26, 1992: Nigerian Air Force A C-130 plane crashes minutes after take-off from Lagos. All 200 on board killed
29. July 11, 1991: Nigeria Airways DC-8-61 crashes in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia from system failure killing 261 on board.
30. June 26, 1991: An Okada Air Bac-11 crashed in Sokoto, three people died.
31. February 24, 1991: British Helicopter crashed in Eket, Akwa Ibom State, killing all nine people on board.
32. 26 Jun 1991; Okada Air BAC-111; Sokoto, Nigeria: Fuel starvation during holding pattern over Sokoto due to heavy rain. Flight from Benin City diverted from Kano due to heavy rain. None of the three-crew members and three of the 52 passengers sustained fatal injuries.

Thus, against this backdrop, and to seek for public access to the 32 reports that have not been published on the AIB website, R2K has made requests to the following:

1. Accident Investigation Bureau
2. Federal Ministry of Aviation
3. Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority
4. Secretary to the Government of the Federation

Click here to read a copy of the request letters sent to these public institutions.