The Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) has commenced investigation into the Caverton Augusta AW139 helicopter conveying Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo that crashed in Kabba, Kogi State on Saturday.
The
Agusta Westland AW139 is a 15-seat mediumsized twin-engine helicopter
developed and produced principally by Augusta Westland. It is marketed
for several different roles, including VIP/corporate transport, offshore
transport, fire fighting, law enforcement, search and rescue, emergency
medical service, disaster relief, and maritime patrol.
The AW139
was originally designed and developed jointly by Agusta and Bell
Helicopters and marketed as the Agusta-Bell AB139, being re-designated
AW139 when Bell withdrew from the project. A source in the agency told
New Telegraph that a team of investigators from AIB had begun probe into
the crash that left no one injured. AIB is the statutory agency saddled
with the task of investigating such serious incidents and accidents.
Since
entering service in 2003, the AW139 has become one of Agusta Westland’s
most influential products; it has been subsequently developed into two
enlarged medium-lift helicopters, the military-orientated AW 149 and the
AW189 the civil market. New Telegraph learnt that the aviation
regulatory body, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) had been
notified as the accident investigation agency begins investigations in
line with its mandate.
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