Dana Airline refutes claims of poor maintenance

Says it is too early to speculate cause of crash
ARTICLE
Dana Airline has refuted claims that Sunday's fatal plane crash in Lagos, was caused by poor maintenance.

Speaking on Wednesday, at a World Press Conference in Lagos, the company's Director, Francis Ogboro, said it was too early to speculate on the cause of the crash or "that two engines had failed."

"This will only be confirmed after the report of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority," he said.

Following the crash, there was public outcry over the state of the aircraft and the role of the regulatory bodies in the aviation industry.

The country was thrown into a state of mourning by the news that all 153 passengers booked on the flight had lost their lives.

But Ogboro disclosed that the company's Chief Engineer "was also on the flight."

"No captain or airline staff would go on a suicide mission," he said.

The press briefing, which was organised to update the public on developments in the aftermath of the plane crash, had representatives of Dana Airline, its insurance companies and the Lagos State government, in attendance.

Dana denies licence withdrawal

Ogboro also denied that the airline's licence has been withdrawn by the federal government, claiming it was only grounded for routine checks.

"Every time there is an incident like this, aircraft of that type are grounded for checks and that's what happened," he said.

He added that Dana Airline had ceased operations even before the routine suspension took effect.

Reacting to claims that principal officials of Dana Airline had fled the country, Ogboro also denied saying that a director that was out of the country at the time of the incident had flown back in.

He said, "You can go to the airport as I speak with you, the chairman of the company is there, the managing director is there."

Ogboro also denied allegations that the Dana aircraft that crashed on its way from Abuja to Lagos, had flown several routes on that day.

He added that the aircraft that purportedly had hydraulic problems was not the same plane that crashed.

Families to get compensation

Concerning the compensation of families affected by the crash, Ogboro assured of the company's readiness to adequately compensate such people for their loss.

Otunba Yomi Osikoya, who stood in for Lloyds of London, Dana Airline's Insurance company, said his company would not compensate below international standard.

Osikoya said airlines are required to provide $30,000 as initial compensation to each claimer within 30 days of  an accident "leading to death or injury."

"But a substantive imposed a ceiling of $100,000 for each victim," he added.

Controversy over the number of victims

Meanwhile, the State Attorney General, Ade Ipaye, said a total of 149 bodies had been recovered from the crash site after the clean up exercise.

"Fifty-two identifiable bodies are at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital morgue, while 97 charred remains that could not be identified were taken to Mainland Hospital," he said.

The total recovery made however, falls short of the earlier figure of 153 passengers along with some residents, who were said to have lost their lives in the incident.

However, Ipaye described the latest casualty figure as tentative, which could be subject to change after a scientific process of identification is carried out.

"It's possible for a body bag to have more than one persons at the end of the day," he continued.

He however urged relations of the dead victims to exercise some patience as autopsies were being carried out for identification and record purposes.

Ipaye said that the delay in the collection of corpses would eventually assist families in claiming compensations.

"Hopefully, we are going to finish with the bodies that are identifiable by tomorrow (Thursday)," he said.

The Chief Medical Examiner, John Obafunwa, disclosed that his team had already carried out autopsy on 12 identifiable bodies, and that 18 would be done by Wednesday evening.

"The whole process, including for the 97 bodies that are not identifiable, should not take more than two weeks," he said

BREAKING NEWS: Senate orders FG to ground DANAplanes, asks NCAA boss, Demuren, to step aside

The lawmakers say the airline should be barred from operating flights until investigations are completed The Senate has asked the Federal Government to ground all planes belonging to DANA Airline until investigations are completed into Sunday's deadly crash which killed 153 passengers and crew and unknown number of people on ground. At plenary Tuesday morning, the upper legislative chamber also ordered the Director General of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority, Harold Demuren, to step aside until the conclusion of investigation into the accident. Besides, the senators want aviation authorities in the country to conduct an audit of the airlines in the country with a view to determining their airworthiness. The lawmakers made the resolution following a motion by the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Aviation, Hope Uzondinma (PDP, Imo). The lower House had said Monday it would hold a legislative inquiry into the crash separate from government's planned investigations. The chairman House committee on media, Zakari Mohammed, said an ad hoc committee will be named to investigate the cause of one of the nation's most horrific air accidents. Also, the senate had said Monday it would support sweeping probe not only on Dana air, but the entire aviation industry, an indicator the chamber may not launch its own investigation but may be planning to back the government's probe instead of conducting a separate one. All 153 passengers and crew members aboard the plane died while an unexpected number, expected to be huge too, were killed in the buildings and the neighborhood the jet smashed into. Mr. Mohammed (PDP-Kwara), said details of the probe will be announced on Tuesday when the House meets. "We cannot fold our arms and allow this to be swept under the carpet. We will support all relevant agencies of government to get to the root of the tragedy. We want to know why it happened," he said. "We want to, for once, unravel what is responsible for that national calamity. The lawmaker said the probe, which is to establish the age of the aircraft, its airworthiness. "We are interested in the nature of the aircraft, the age of the aircraft. Is it supposed to fly in our airspace? We will be very strict on this as the blackbox does not lie. It will tell everything that happened," he said. The Senate demanded a thorough investigation of all airlines in the country in a statement by Spokesman, Enyinnaya Abaribe (PDP-Abia). "Senate demands nothing, but a holistic investigation of the remote and immediate causes of the plane crash. "Senate would also insist that the probe this time should not be limited to Dana Airlines and their fleet, but all the airlines operating in Nigeria. Mr. Abaribe said, "We had thought that Nigeria had landed in the golden era of safe aviation industry, where all the standard codes that conform with international best practices were being complied with."

Presidency denies complicity in Dana Air crash

The Presidency denies any complicity in the Dana crash saying the first lady arrived Lagos a day before the catastrophe and was not scheduled to leave until a day after the incident The Presidency has described as “callous, inhuman and devilish” rumours making the rounds that the first lady, Patience Jonathan, was responsible for the Dana plane crash that led to the death of over 150 people, including the 146 passengers on board. The rumour, which had been circulating through emails, facebook messages, and other new media outlets, was that the Dana flight was prevented from landing at the Murtala Muhammed airport in Lagos because the airspace was closed for Mrs. Jonathan’s arrival about the same time. The presidency through the Special Assistant to the President, Office of the First Lady, Ayo Osinlu, however described the rumour as false. "We consider it callous, inhuman and devilish for anyone to have thought of wrapping such national calamity in political garb by insinuating that the plane crashed because the airspace was closed for the First Lady’s movement in Lagos,” Mr. Osinlu stated. The spokesman explained that Mrs. Jonathan arrived in Lagos a day before the air crash saying “the First Lady arrived Lagos at about 2 p.m. on Saturday, 2nd June, 2012 for a private engagement and was billed to leave for Abuja on Monday, 4th June, 2012 in compliance with her itinerary.” Mr. Osinlu further explained that Mrs. Jonathan was at an event in Lagos when the plane crashed. “She (Mrs. Jonathan) was at a public event on Sunday when the accident occurred and promptly abandoned the ceremony as a mark of respect for the victims and retired to the State House, Marina,” he said. “Mrs. Jonathan had no intention to travel on Sunday and never did. Like all Nigerians, she has been mourning the dead." The first lady described the rumour as the act of “self-serving,” people, saying “this is the time for all Nigerians to be sober and pray for the repose of the souls of the victims and not a time to subordinate the interests of our nation to narrow self-serving interests.”

Bruce and Demi's daughter Scout arrested in NYC

New York City police say the underage daughter of Demi Moore and Bruce Willis was caught drinking in public and carrying fake identification. The New York Police Department said Tuesday that officers found 20-year-old Scout Willis sipping a beer Monday evening in Union Square in violation of an open-container law. Police say she also showed them a fake ID — a misdemeanor. Willis was arrested and taken to a local police station and released with a ticket ordering her to appear in court on July 21. Bruce Willis' representative declined to comment on the arrest. Scout is the second of Moore and Willis' three daughters together. The couple divorced in 2000.

DANA AIR CRASH CONSPIRACY:Did Presidential Jet Conveying Mrs Goodluck Prevent Faulty Dana Plane From Landing Before Crash?

"Is there any way of getting confirmation about news I'm just getting that the Dana plane was distressed for a while but could not make an emergency landing because the airspace was closed for 2 hours for  the Presidential Jet carrying Dame Patience Goodluck Jonathan.

Private jet owners who had to hover in the air same time leaked this. This was apparently the reason local news didn't report the crash for so long till CNN and foreign news stations started reporting it.

Local news was 'blacked out' trying to kill the story of the airspace being closed while a distressed plane couldn't land.

It would be shocking if so. Though there was engine failure there was still time for the plane to have landed apparently.

You do know anyway that the airspace is closed for up to 2hours each time the Presidential Jet needs to go into the air? 2 hours for a 15minute take off or landing!

And this jet is used by President, VP, President's wife and if I recall David Mark.

It's almost a daily occurrence I've been told by airline staff when it caught me out on a trip


The truth remains that the President's wife was actually in Lagos to attend the christening of their personal assistant's child at the Oriental hotel.. Lekki. Anyone living on the Lekki axis saw first hand the horrendous traffic caused by the president's wife's visit..and confirmed reports from airport staff who volunteered information, collaborated this fact, that the Lagos airport was actually shut for 2 hours, about the same time the ill fated Dana Plane crashed. This also strongly explains the reason why Aero contractor airplane could not depart Abuja for Lagos at 3:40pm because of the closure of the Lagos airport. This is criminal and one can only imagine the deep sorrow ad-in-finitum (without limit) that the families of these unfortunate Nigerians and other nationals are currently plagued into. Grief that is so thick in the air, that one can cut through with a knife...rooted soul searching. Yes we have to and yes we can; beginning from our immediate homes and While we pray for the repose of the souls of the departed, we need as a nation to thoroughly do some deep ommunities.. with time this will snowball into our National consciousness. For how long are we going to sacrifice the lives of our dear brothers and sisters and by extension mortgage the future of their/our children, just for the comfort of our leaders? For a 15 minutes ritual of plane take-off, an airport was shut for 2 hours because our "DEAR FIRST LADY" was scheduled to return to Abuja.. OH merciful God, help Nigeria in Distress!''

NIgerians need to know what happened?who closed the airstrip for two hours on sunday june 3,2012???

BREAKING NEWS: REDEEMERS UNIVERSITY FEMALE HOSTEL ON FIRE

Eye witnesses sent me this picture of fire outbreak at Redeemer’s University, one of the female hostels caught fire this morning. According to a student of the institution,three rooms in d main hostel caught fire.

The cause of the fire or casualty is yet to be ascertained. The University is situated within the premises of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (R.C.C.G)’s redemption camp

Black Sunday: Families of the 153 passengers react to the manifest

The local wing of the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos was not like every other day yesterday when members of the deceased families of the ill-fated Dana air plane which crashed in Lagos killing all 153 passengers on board arrived at the airport amid tears to confirm the death of their loved ones.
While waiting for Dana air to announce the manifest of those who boarded the plane, some angry family members and sympathisers had began threaten Dana airline officials for failing to announce the manifest on time. When the manifest was read, families cried uncontrollably as the security officials attempted to hold them back from venting their anger on Dana air officials or doing something strange to themselves.
Speaking to news men at the Airport,  Professor Peter Okebukola, immediate past Executive Secretary, National Universities Commission, NUC, who may have. Died in the plane if he had travelled as earlier scheduled confirmed the death of four staff of the commission who were on board.
Okebukolar who obviously could not control his emotion referred  to incident as a national disaster.
According to him, “the plane that crashed was supposed to take me to Abuja before we heard the sad news. I am deeply sad. This is a national disaster. As I speak to you now I can confirm to you that NUC lost four staff in the plane crash. The names are Mr Mamud Dokawa, Architect Chinwe Obi, Mrs Shuaibu and professor Nwoleri,  past Vice Chancellor University of Technology, FUTO, Owerri and the leader of the NUC team.
Meanwhile, Special Adviser, Technical to Minister of Aviation, Mr. Victor Oche Elias, disclosed  that the pilot  declared 11 nautical miles to landing while declaring to the aviation authority the emergency situation. It was further disclosed that he was given priority, but the plane could not make it, as it crashed 4 nautical miles to landing.
It has been gathered that the Ill-fated  Dana Air, MC Donnell Douglas MD 83 was faulty even before it was sold to Dana Airline in 2009 by a US-based Alaska Airlines.
Meanwhile, it has been confirmed by the Aviation authority that the original owners of the plane has had several diversions as a result of mechanical or technical faults on different occasions before it was sold to Dana Airline.
In related news, official of Dana Air were advised earlier that the plane shouldn’t fly due to some faults noticed in it, but the Indian officials insisted it must fly. German officials had expressed surprise how the plane even made it to Lagos before crashing due to its write-off state.
Dana Air plane conveying passengers from Abuja to Lagos yesterday crashed into buildings around Iju- Agege area of Lagos state, killing all 153 passengers on board.
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