Dana Air joins NGO in candlelight service for deceased

Dana Air, Sunday June 17, joined hundreds of Nigerians in a multi-faith service for those who lost their lives in the tragic accident of Sunday, June 3, 2012.  The candlelight service, which held at the Muri Okunola Park, Victoria Island, Lagos, was organized by S.E.E.D.S – an independent Non-Governmental Organisation.

Officials and cabin crew of the airline turned out en masse to join their voices with the entire nation in prayers for the repose of the souls of the departed, and also for their families. The highly emotional service featured songs, poetry and readings in honour of the departed.

Commenting on the service, Tony Usidamen, Dana Air’s Head of Corporate Communications said “There are no words to adequately express our grief and sorrow over this tragedy which affects everyone in one way or the other. Families have lost their loved ones, and the nation has lost eminent citizens, as well as promising young ones. We too have lost some of our finest and most dedicated staff, colleagues and friends.”

“We identify with the organizers of the event and with all Nigerians in these dark moments in the life of our nation. The thoughts and prayers of everyone at Dana Air remain with the families and friends of the deceased in these extremely difficult times, and we will continue to assist them in every way possible”, Usidamen added.

Dana Airlines Limited (Dana Air) began scheduled flights on November 10, 2008 and has grown to become one of Nigeria’s leading airlines, operating over 18,933 flights and carrying over 1,600,366 passengers since its inception.

Dana Air Re-affirms Support for Families of the Deceased, AIB Investigators

The management of Dana Air has called on relatives of the passengers who lost their lives in the June 3 plane crash to come forward with details as their next-of-kin for insurance purposes.

A statement from the airline said it had experienced difficulties reaching out to families of some of the passengers.

The managing director, Mr Jacky Hathiramani said ‘we wish to appeal to relatives of the passengers to please come forward with details as their next-of-kin for insurance purposes.’

He said that the primary focus of the airline is to provide support and assistance to the families of those affected by the tragic accident of Sunday, June 3, 2012.

In the same vein, the airline is committed to providing full assistance to the Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) in determining the cause of the unfortunate accident.

“At this time, the senior management team of Dana Air is focused on providing assistance to the families of the departed, and also full cooperation to the authorities carrying out the investigation. As yet, the cause of the accident remains unknown.

Investigations are still on-going and it will not be right for anyone to speculate until the reports have been submitted”, said Jacky Hathiramani.

 “The company fully realizes how painful this is for the families, and fully recognizes the need to handle this process promptly and sensitively. We do not imagine that this will make up for the pains that you are going through but the company will continue to make every possible effort to assist all those affected”, the statement read.

Since the incident on June 3, the Chairman, Directors and top management staff of the company have been visiting the families of those affected including the injured who have subsequently been discharged from the hospital. Relief materials have also been arranged for the displaced Iju-Ishaga residents, and the airline is working closely with the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) to ensure that they are properly rehabilitated.

Dana Air will continue to offer the families assistance, and will provide further updates as we get them.

Issues of Committee, Suspension of DG and Investigation of Dana Air accident

Dear Editor Deba Uwadiae,

Kindly convey the following information to Nigerians, The Government, and Society at large.

Accident is an event that happens when and where it was not planned for.

The cause of Air Accident can never and has never been determined by speculations and emotional rancours.

International Standard best practice for investigating air accident is properly documented. Nigeria’s adoption of these practices is documented in Federal Republic of Nigeria Official Gazette No. 61 Vol. 93 of November 2006 – Government Notice No. 45 – Titled Civil Aviation Act, 2006.

The Nigerian Accident Investigation Bureau – AIB – is the agency to investigate air accidents. It is the AIB’s prerogative to seek assistance from other Technical Institutions and persons worldwide for the delivery of exhaustively investigated report. See civil aviation act 2006 Part VII Section 29 sub paragraph 11 a, b, c, d.

Civil aviation act 2006 part V11 subject 29 sub paragraph 12 states that the sole objective of the investigation of accidents and serious incidents shall be the prevention of accidents and incidents and it shall not be for the purpose of apportioning blame or liability. But paragraph 11 (d) says it can recommend withdrawal or suspension of license or cancellation. We cannot shout CRUCIFY anybody until AIB finishes its job. The Nigerian Civil Aviation Regulations 2006 prohibits reprisal punishment against any personnel that comes forward to report incidences, errors, or actions that needs to be investigated in order to place preventive and corrective measures on record.

Operators in the Industry are forced to document this as their procedures. This means we investigate to prevent and correct and will encourage people not to shy away from reporting incidences.

Part IV of Civil Aviation Act states that the Director General shall be appointed for a term of 5 years in the first instance and may be reappointed for a further term of 5 years and no more. The two term tenure of the current DG expired in February 2012. The Presidency and the Ministry extended his tenure and gave us the reason that we had not prepared a suitable successor that will be acceptable by the International Community. Are we so un-trainable or unacceptable? Now they choose to suspend the DG without reference to the Civil Aviation Act Part IV, Sub paragraph 3 guiding the DG’s suspension or removal from office. They should cite which of the 5 documented reasons in that act his suspension was hinged upon. (I don’t think the DG is on suspension but gagged for now. Editor)

Sub paragraph IV subject 8 of Part IV states: The Director General shall not be remove d from office except in accordance with the provisions of this Civil Aviation Act.

The appointment of a Committee to report on the “health of the airlines and the agencies” is the prerogative of the government. It sounds to me like indictment of the Directorate of Economic Regulations of our Civil Aviation Authority and other relevant departments who worked to secured us FAA CAT1.

We will need the reports and records from the investigation of this DANA Air accident to guide Operators in this industry worldwide. There are MD – 80s Series still in operation in other countries.

We might fly them as we travel around. These Operators should not be deprived proper documentation of what happened, how, and why?

Furthermore please let new carriers know that a Station Manager or Pilot cannot release an aircraft to operate a flight.

A licensed Engineer rated on the specific aircraft type signs out the specific aircraft to Flight Operations Department. The flight Operation advises the Station Manager the specific aircraft to operate a particular flight. As for the issue of flying unserviceable or faulty aircraft; we will wait the Accident Investigation Bureau’s report.

Amos Akpan

Capital Airlines

Dana Air gears up for prompt payment of claims

Dana Air has put structures in place to ensure prompt payment of benefits to families of those who lost their lives in the tragic accident of Sunday, June 3, 2012. Cconsequently, it has opened three dedicated toll-free lines, manned by well trained personnel, solely for claims administration and payment procedures.

Within 24hrs of the unfortunate incident, the airline had set up a Crisis Management Center at the Murtala Muhammed Airport Terminal 2 (MMA2) to assist families and relatives of victims with useful information. The airline’s decision to open dedicated toll-free lines, said Jacky Hathiramani, Chief Executive Officer of Dana Air, is to make it easier for the bereaved to get necessary details on payment of claims.

Teams comprising Dana Air officials and trained counselors have been visiting the families to condole with them, as well as to provide information on requirements for speedy payment of benefits to the next-of-kin.

“We appreciate that no level of compensation will bring back your much loved one. Nevertheless, we are making arrangements as quickly as possible to compensate every bereaved family in accordance with the law that governs tragedies such as this, and in honor of our duty to you and others”, a letter signed by Hathiramani to the families of the deceased stated.

Hathiramani also stated, “We do not imagine that this will make up for the pains that you are going through but we, however, hope that this lessens your pain knowing that you are not alone in these difficult times.”

Dana Air insurers, a London consortium, are already well advanced in the payment process, and the first (interim) payments should be made shortly to the families of those passengers who lost their lives. Also urgent steps have been taken by the insurers to identify the families of the Iju-Ishaga community and establish the extent of the losses to enable appropriate calculations of the compensation to be made.

Dana Air will continue to make every possible effort to assist the families of all those affected.

Still ruminating over June 3 plane crash in Lagos

Still ruminating over June 3 plane crash in Lagos

We had just finished our International church service Sunday June 3 at the Big Walnut Park Shelter House, 5000 E. Livingston Avenue Columbus, Ohio, United States at about 11.55am and which should be about 4.55pm in Nigeria when I got a call from Lagos of the unfortunate crash of Flight 0J 992 Dana Air. I was silent for a while because of the shock and the caller on the other end kept saying ‘Hallo, are you there?’ I was still on line but the impact was too shocking for me to respond. Eventually, I spoke and other things followed. I am yet to put things together on this unfortunate incident but I decide to run the frequently asked questions from Dana Air on what happened on that Sunday June 3.  May the Lord continue to take care of the families left behind by the departed in the plane crash.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Flight 9J 992 Dana Air accident on 3rd June, 2012.

Q. 1: What was the cause of the accident? Was the black box found?

The cause of the accident is not known at this time.

 An investigation is currently being conducted by the (Nigerian) Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) with technical assistance from the US National Safety Transportation Board (NTSB). Dana Air is cooperating fully and assisting the investigation in every way possible.

We can confirm that the ‘Black Box’ Flight Data Recorder and the Cockpit Voice Recorder from the aircraft were found on Monday, June 4 by the joint team comprising the Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB), the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA). We hope this will swiftly provide information about the cause of the accident.

Q.2. Were there any survivors on the aircraft, and how many bodies have so far been recovered? How many passengers were on board?

Very sadly, there were no survivors. The process of recovering bodies from the crash site is continuing and, as at the last update, 151 bodies had been found. Further updates will be provided as we receive them.

The aircraft was carrying a total of 146 passengers and seven crew.

Q.3. How old was the affected Dana Air aircraft and what is the model?

The Boeing MD83 aircraft, with Registration Number 5N-RAM, is 22 years old. It had flown 60,846 hours and made 35,219 landings. The aircraft has been maintained correctly and fully in accordance with the manufacturer’s schedule and directives from the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority.

The aircraft entered service with Dana Air in March 2009.

Q.4. There is a statement credited to a staff of Dana Air alleging that the aircraft involved in the crash was not serviceable. What do you have to say about this? Is this the same aircraft that recently had total loss of hydraulic pressure as reported in the media?

The allegations are totally false and baseless.

At Dana Air, the safety of our passengers and crew is of paramount importance and we adhere strictly to the maintenance schedule of all our aircraft as prescribed by the manufacturers, and the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCCA).

The aircraft involved in the accident had its last 400-hourly check (A-Check) on 30th May, 2012. The statutory annual maintenance (C-Check) is not due until September 2012. The Certificate of Airworthiness issued by the NCCA after the last C-Check was completely valid as at the time of the incident.

This is not the same aircraft that had the hydraulic pressure issue that has been referred to in some media reports.  Each aircraft is identified by its registration number and, while the aircraft that operated that flight had Reg. No. 5N-SRI, this one has Reg. No. 5N-RAM.

At Dana Air, safety is paramount. Dana Air has a maintenance agreement with MyTechnic - an international, world-class aviation maintenance organisation (MRO) which is located at our Lagos base. It performs and supervises all local maintenance tasks including the daily servicing and release of our aircraft for operations. Our heavy scheduled maintenance checks (i.e. C-checks) are done by leading MRO companies overseas.

Q.5. We observed that Dana Air is not currently operating flights.  Is this deliberate?

On Monday, 4th June a decision was taken by Dana Air management not to operate any scheduled flights as a mark of respect to the victims of the crash and their families. We have not only lost some loyal and valued guests of our airline, but some our finest and most dedicated staff too. Our thoughts and prayers remain with the families and friends of the deceased in these difficult times, and we will continue to do everything possible to assist them.

Dana Air’s operations were subsequently grounded by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority. We understand that this is standard procedure following an aircraft accident, and we are cooperating fully with the NCAA as they perform checks on our operations. We hope to quickly and conclusively demonstrate to them the paramount importance we place on safety, and how a safety-first culture is at the heart of our airline.

Q.6. What steps have the airline taken so far to assist families of the victims in identifying and recovering the bodies?

Within a few hours of the incident, we launched a 24-hour call centre service and set up a dedicated information centre manned by experienced personnel at Murtala Muhammed International Airport Terminal 2 (MMA2) in Lagos. We are also in constant contact with the recovery team at the crash site, and are coordinating with the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital to ensure every possible assistance is given to the friends and families of the victims.

Q.7. What is the status of compensation payments?

A: Our insurers, a London consortium, are already well advanced in this process, and the first (interim) payments should be made shortly to the families of those passengers who lost their lives. Also urgent steps have been taken by the insurers to identify the families of the Iju-Ishaga community and establish the extent of the losses to enable appropriate calculations of the compensation to be made.

Q.8. Is Dana Air aware of the NCAA rules governing the age of aircraft?

A: Yes, and all of its aircraft are in full compliance with those rules.

Q.9. What are you doing to assist those whose homes were damaged or destroyed in the accident?

We are doing everything possible to assist the 40 residents who have been displaced. We are arranging temporary accommodation for them, and providing them with materials such as beds, blankets, provisions and utensils.

Q.10. Does the age of Dana Air’s MD83 fleet make them unsafe?

No. Safety is of paramount importance at Dana Air, and the age of its Boeing MD83 fleet does not make them unsafe. Indeed, there are aircraft of a similar age (21-22 years old) operating in the fleets of major airlines around the world.