Dana Air? spokesman Tony Usidamen on Thursday told a Lagos State Coroner that the plane that crashed on June 3 at Iju-Ishaga, a Lagos suburb, had a faulty engine two years ago.
Usidamen, the Head, Corporate Communications of the airline, disclosed this while testifying at the coroner's inquest investigating the crash.
He told the coroner, Magistrate Komolafe Oyetade, that the airline had discovered on April 19, 2010 that the engine of the plane was bad.
“The plane was returned to safety and we changed the engine because of our interest in the safety of passengers,’’Usidamen said.
When asked by a counsel, Mr Adewale Adeniyi, if he was aware that the same plane had hydraulic leakages on May 23, Usidamen said he was not aware of the problem.
He said the plane was certified okay by the firm's engineers for the June 3 flights.
“If an airplane is not in perfect condition, according to international laws, it would not be allowed to fly.
“The aircraft had gone on two round-trips on that fateful day before it crashed on the third trip,’’he said.
A witness from the Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB), Mr Emmanuel Dialla, told the coroner that their investigation was still ongoing.
He said: The aim of the investigation is not to apportion blame, but to promote safety and avert a recurrence.’’