In an effort to ensure effectiveness in reporting aviation accidents investigative report, the Accident Investigative Bureau, Nigeria (AIB-N) has introduced the Advanced Report Generation Utility Engine (ARGUE), a technology that has embedded tools that enables the use of advanced graphic/animation software to communicate the result of aviation investigative reports.
The initiative, which is the first of its kind in the world, is intended to give investigators a productive, usable tool to develop investigation content in a web publishable, ready-to-read format during the investigation process, thereby eliminating the need for the usually written report format.
The AIB-N Commissioner, Akin Olateru, while explaining the new technology to the media yesterday, in Abuja, said the Bureau is taking the lead on this front, with ARGUE and will shortly begin producing its reports in digital format, with embedded animation capabilities.
Mentioning the advantage of the new innovation, he said the web technology formatted content directs attention to the areas of highest importance instantly, eliminating the need to peruse an entire PDF document in search of specific detail.
He maintained that while accident investigators across the world have been investigating aviation accident occurrence through a long evolution of best practices detailed in the International Civil Aviation Annex 13 when it comes to communicating the result, most states still resort to the legacy of the written approach after which the reports are published in PDF.
Olateru stated that digitising their reports is fully compliant with ICAO Annex 13 and aims to enhance the reading experience and enable quick and easy access to the desired aspects of the report, with the click of an embedded link.
Olateru maintained that being the first of its kind in the World, the initiative will boost Nigeria’s internal revenue generation and would also help them to further train students in their soon-to-be-established Training School.
Also, the AIB-N has released three final reports on the serious incident involving a Boeing 747-400 aircraft with nationality and registration marks 5N-DBK operated by Max Air Limited, which occurred at the Minna Airport, Nigeria on 7th September 2019.
The second final report is on the serious incident involving Cessna Citation 560 XLS aircraft with nationality and registration marks 5N-HAR operated by the Nigerian Police Airwing which occurred at Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa Airport, Bauchi, Nigeria on 3rd October 2018, and;
The third final report on the serious incident involves a Boeing 737-500 aircraft with nationality and registration marks 5N-AIS operated by Azman Air service Limited, which occurred at Port Harcourt, Nigeria on 3rd January 2019.
According to Olateru, a total of 75 aircraft accident reports since its establishment in 2007 and a total of 56 reports released by the current administration from 2017 to date.
He recommended that the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) should ensure that the Aerodrome Manuals including Safety Management System (SMS) manuals are updated and submitted to the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) for approval.
On the Cessna Citation 560 XLS aircraft with nationality and registration marks 5N-HAR, Olateru recommended that the USA should consider redesigning the parking brake system of Cessna Citation XLS+ to incorporate take-off protection, visual and aural warnings and also make the position visible to both occupants of the cockpit.
He also called on the Nigeria Police Airwing to develop Operations Manuals and Standard Operating Procedures in accordance with the provisions of subpart 8.14 of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Regulations for guidance.
On the Boeing 737-500 aircraft, the commissioner further recommended that Azman Air Services Limited should review relevant portions of its Operations Manual, including 5.1.3 of Azman Air Ltd Operations Manual Part A to specify the criteria for determining the experience level required for crew composition.
