Aviation experts from the
United States and the Accident
Investigations Bureau, AIB,
have suggested that impure
fuel could have caused the two
engines and throttles of the
crashed Dana Air plane to fail
mid-air.
This development followed
speculations on the cause of the
June 3 air disaster in Lagos,
killing about 160 people,
including the 153 passengers
and the crew members on board.
Our correspondents gathered
that the AIB and their American
counterparts who conducted
tests yesterday said that the two
engines and the throttles
systems operate independently
of each other and also support
each other and could not have
packed up at the same time in
the air.
They, however, explained that
this could happen “if the driving
component, which is the key
element in the movement of an
aircraft is distorted.”
Sources also quoted the experts
as claiming that the teams
conducted tests on samples from
two airplanes belonging to Dana
Air and detected that they were
bad. “The key components in an
airplane are the engines, the
throttle systems and the fuel.
“The fuel, which serves as its
propellant, needs to be clean and
free from any form of distortion.
“Through tests we conducted on
the Dana plane and two other
planes belonging to the airline,
we found out that they were bad
and not good for use in an
airplane,” a source close to the
teams said.
“Unfortunately, we don’t have
the facilities for the required
follow-up tests and analysis, so
we have to fly them abroad.
“This doesn’t take too long and
we should have the results over
the weekend,” an AIB official told
National Mirror yesterday.
Last Sunday, the management of
Dana Air confirmed that their
planes were fuelled by different
oil marketers.
The airline’s officials had earlier
said that remnants of a bird
were found in the engine of the
aircraft, a possibility of the crash
being caused by a bird strike.
President, Aviation Round Table,
Capt. Dele Ore, said that contami-
nated fuel could lead to an air
crash, but refused to comment
on the crash involving Dana Air.
Ore insisted that bad fuel could
lead to dual engine failure at the
same time.
He said: “We have said it over
and over again, the answer is
yes, but we are not saying it was
contaminated fuel that caused
the crash of the Dana aircraft.
“I was a pilot for so many years,
so I know what I’m saying. In
general principle, yes, it can
cause an accident and cause the
aircraft engine to flame out.
“If there is too much water in it,
it can cause the two engines to
pack up at the same time. But
that does not mean we should
say that was what caused the
current accident”.
Airlines’ regulator, the Nigerian
Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA, has
suspended the licence of Dana
Air, pending the outcome of
investigations into the crash.
Meanwhile, families of the air
crash victims may have agreed to
wait for another four weeks for
the results of the DNA tests on
their relations to be released
before claiming the corpses of
their family members.
This is reflected in the unusual
quiet noticed at the Lekan
Ogunsola Memorial House, Lagos
State University Teaching Hos-
pital, LASUTH, mortuary, yesterday
as only one corpse was claimed
and eventually buried in his
family house at Lekki, a suburb of
Lagos.
National Mirror also learnt that
Dana Air management had
started visiting the family
members of those that died in
the ill-fated crash. Speaking to
National Mirror yesterday, one of
the bereaved relatives, Kelvin
Ifekawa, said: “We heard Dana
has been visiting and condoling
with the families, but we are yet
to see them maybe they will still
come to my house.”
He added that they were yet to
receive any information on
compensation from the airline.
Ifekawa said the family had
contemplated suing the
government, but changed their
mind, just like other families,
after the explanation about the
DNA process by the government.
Meanwhile, police are still
keeping a 24-hour surveillance at
the mortuary after Tuesday’s
incident.
It will be recalled that an angry
relative had attacked officials of
the morgue with a cutlass but
the situation was arrested by the
quick intervention of the Rapid
Response Squad, RRS, team.
So far, nine bodies have been
released, although 19 of the 43
identifiable bodies are ready to
be claimed as their families are
yet to turn up.
There have been controversies
over the collection of the crash
victims’ corpses. Officials of the
morgue had declined releasing
corpses to any of the family
members, identified bodies
inclusive, on the grounds that all
corpses must undergo DNA test.
But as at Tuesday, eight corpses
which identities they had refused
to disclose had been released.
The state government on Sunday
suggested giving mass burial to
the victims, which the families
rejected.

phranco: Aviation experts from the
United States and the Accident
Investigations Bureau, AIB,
have suggested that impure
fuel could have caused the two
engines and throttles of the
crashed Dana Air plane to fail
mid-air.
This development followed
speculations on the cause of the
June 3 air disaster in Lagos,
killing about 160 people,
including the 153 passengers
and the crew members on board.
Our correspondents gathered
that the AIB and their American
counterparts who conducted
tests yesterday said that the two
engines and the throttles
systems operate independently
of each other and also support
each other and could not have
packed up at the same time in
the air.
They, however, explained that
this could happen “if the driving
component, which is the key
element in the movement of an
aircraft is distorted.”
Sources also quoted the experts
as claiming that the teams
conducted tests on samples from
two airplanes belonging to Dana
Air and detected that they were
bad. “The key components in an
airplane are the engines, the
throttle systems and the fuel.
“The fuel, which serves as its
propellant, needs to be clean and
free from any form of distortion.
“Through tests we conducted on
the Dana plane and two other
planes belonging to the airline,
we found out that they were bad
and not good for use in an
airplane,” a source close to the
teams said.
“Unfortunately, we don’t have
the facilities for the required
follow-up tests and analysis, so
we have to fly them abroad.
“This doesn’t take too long and
we should have the results over
the weekend,” an AIB official told
National Mirror yesterday.
Last Sunday, the management of
Dana Air confirmed that their
planes were fuelled by different
oil marketers.
The airline’s officials had earlier
said that remnants of a bird
were found in the engine of the
aircraft, a possibility of the crash
being caused by a bird strike.
President, Aviation Round Table,
Capt. Dele Ore, said that contami-
nated fuel could lead to an air
crash, but refused to comment
on the crash involving Dana Air.
Ore insisted that bad fuel could
lead to dual engine failure at the
same time.
He said: “We have said it over
and over again, the answer is
yes, but we are not saying it was
contaminated fuel that caused
the crash of the Dana aircraft.
“I was a pilot for so many years,
so I know what I’m saying. In
general principle, yes, it can
cause an accident and cause the
aircraft engine to flame out.
“If there is too much water in it,
it can cause the two engines to
pack up at the same time. But
that does not mean we should
say that was what caused the
current accident”.
Airlines’ regulator, the Nigerian
Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA, has
suspended the licence of Dana
Air, pending the outcome of
investigations into the crash.
Meanwhile, families of the air
crash victims may have agreed to
wait for another four weeks for
the results of the DNA tests on
their relations to be released
before claiming the corpses of
their family members.
This is reflected in the unusual
quiet noticed at the Lekan
Ogunsola Memorial House, Lagos
State University Teaching Hos-
pital, LASUTH, mortuary, yesterday
as only one corpse was claimed
and eventually buried in his
family house at Lekki, a suburb of
Lagos.
National Mirror also learnt that
Dana Air management had
started visiting the family
members of those that died in
the ill-fated crash. Speaking to
National Mirror yesterday, one of
the bereaved relatives, Kelvin
Ifekawa, said: “We heard Dana
has been visiting and condoling
with the families, but we are yet
to see them maybe they will still
come to my house.”
He added that they were yet to
receive any information on
compensation from the airline.
Ifekawa said the family had
contemplated suing the
government, but changed their
mind, just like other families,
after the explanation about the
DNA process by the government.
Meanwhile, police are still
keeping a 24-hour surveillance at
the mortuary after Tuesday’s
incident.
It will be recalled that an angry
relative had attacked officials of
the morgue with a cutlass but
the situation was arrested by the
quick intervention of the Rapid
Response Squad, RRS, team.
So far, nine bodies have been
released, although 19 of the 43
identifiable bodies are ready to
be claimed as their families are
yet to turn up.
There have been controversies
over the collection of the crash
victims’ corpses. Officials of the
morgue had declined releasing
corpses to any of the family
members, identified bodies
inclusive, on the grounds that all
corpses must undergo DNA test.
But as at Tuesday, eight corpses
which identities they had refused
to disclose had been released.
The state government on Sunday
suggested giving mass burial to
the victims, which the families
rejected.

Let them wait until the full investigation has taken its course