Lagos Coroner, Mr. Komolafe Oyetade? was, yesterday, intimated of the last 15-minute? journey of the ill- fated Dana airline flight 0992 before it crashed at Iju-Ishaga, Lagos on June 3, 2012.
A witness, Mr. Rafiq Olubukola Arogunjo, an Air Traffic Controller with the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), narrated to the Coroner details of his discussions with the pilot of the airline before the crash.
Arogunjo said that he received distress call from the pilot at (14.42 UTC- universal time coordinate) 3.42p.m. Local time and three minutes later, the aircraft went off the radar.
He said that when he got the distress call, the plane was at 11 NM (nautical miles) to touch down and added that he thought it would crash inside the airport.
The Air Traffic Controller said that the distress call was transferred to Aerodrome Controller consequent upon which emergency agencies, including fire services, search and rescue team and others were deployed to the landing field.
Soon after, he spoke with the pilot who told him that the aircraft had dual engine and throttle failure.
Arogunjo told the coroner that prior to the distress call, the pilot was given descent to flight level 5000 feet and its arrival was expected on runway 18L for landing but that two minutes later, the pilot requested for approach on runway 18R and was obliged.
“At 14.43UTC (3.43p.m local time), I observed the aircraft on radar with dropping speed and altitude. Then at 14.45(3.45p.m), the aircraft went into coasted status, that is, fading from the scope, and later disappeared.
“I informed tower about this and few seconds later, tower said they could see the aircraft on the extended centreline of the runway with dark smoke” he said.
Asked why the radar could not monitor the aircraft up till the time it crashed, he said “what we have is terminal approach radar. It will not show the object on the ground. The one that will show objects on the ground is a surveillance radar” and added “ we have had training on its use but we don’t have it in Nigeria”.
?Arogunjo disclosed that an Ibadan bound private helicopter volunteered to be vectored to the crash site for observation and assistance. “Although the location of the crash was not in doubt, we had the coordinates and we passed them to other parties”.
Another witness, a General Manager with Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), Dr. Oluwafemi Osanyintolu, told the coroner that? though they got to the crash site early, the huge crowd at the crash site was an impediment to rescue operations.
Osanyintolu said that emergency agencies on ground, including firemen, Rapid Respond Squad, ambulancemen, LASTMA and Policemen, could not access the aircraft immediately they got there because of the surging crowd.
He said that when they were overwhelmed by the crowd, they had to call the State Governor, Babatunde Fashola, who deployed the Disaster Rescue Unit of the Nigerian Army to assist.
?
?