Lagos — The authorities of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) yesterday said the Flight Data Recorder (FDR) and the Cockpit Recorder (CPR) also known as the "black box" of the crashed Wings Aviation aircraft are yet to be located by the search team.

The elusive plane was found in the mountainous area of Busi in Obanliku local government area of Cross River State last Saturday.

The black box is an electronic data recording device that records all communications between the pilot and the ground aircraft navigation officials.

The Director-General of NEMA, AVM Mohammed Audu-Bida (rtd), who updated journalists on the ill-fated Beechcraft 1900D aircraft, said a combined team of rescue officials from NEMA, National Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and representatives of the Wings Aviation Airline was able to recover some human remains suspected to be those of the occupants of the aircraft.

The twin turbo prop 19-seater aircraft with registration number 5N JAH disappeared on March 15, 2008, with a three-member crew on a flight from Lagos to Bebi Airstrip, near the Obudu Ranch Resort in Obanliku Local Government Area of Cross River State.

The crew members were the pilot, Captain Augustine Egbedi; the co-pilot, First Officer Mohammed and a marketing executive, Ms Fubarata Jack.

In Lagos, the media spokesman to Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB), Mr. Tunji Oketunmbi, told newsmen at the Murtala Muhammed Airport that pathologists at the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital had started working on the recovered remains to ascertain the identities.

"Immediately we heard the news that the aircraft had been discovered, we dispatched a three-man team, led by our Director of Engineering, Emmanuel Diala, to conduct the investigation. The airrcaft was found in a ditch and the debris of the aircraft were scattered here and there partly burnt," Oketunmbi said.

He added: "We have not been able to recover the Flight Data Recorder and the Cockpit Voice Recorder, which we popularly call the black box, which would help us in determining the possible cause or causes of the accident. It would help us to know the final moments of that ill-fated flight, to know the workings of the engines and all other components. And the Cockpit Voice Recorder will also help us to know the conversation between the cockpit and the control tower. whatever is the cause of the accident we should be able to determine at the end of this investigation."

Oketunmbi explained that the Bureau's officials would have to put the disintegrated pieces of the aircraft together to aid the investigators who would want to know the cause of the accidents and other important facts that would help to prevent future accidents.

"We have the flight engineers, air traffic controllers, who would be able to reconstruct the flight. Right now they could not complete that task yesterday (Wednesday), because of the weather. The terrain is very difficult, our men fell down several times. It was a very terrible and difficult terrain, and when the weather could not allow them, because the helicopter had to get out from that place on time, they had to leave the place. So they are going back there tomorrow (today), we are reinforcing our team men, with other two investigators, so they are leaving now for Calabar and they will be there today (yesterday) and tomorrow (today) they would get off to the site to begin work, because we need younger investigator, who can be able to cope with the terrain," he said.

Audu-Bida, on his own part, said the agency could not categorically identify the aircraft debris as the one being sought, neither was it able to locate the black box, adding that it was the duty of AIB to confirm the identity of the plane after its investigations.

"We cannot categorically say it is the aircraft because the plane crashed and got scattered and burnt. The AIB will do their investigation and confirm it. During our search, we could not find the flight data recorder popularly known as 'black box'. We are still going back to look for it. Some human remains were found near the wreckage which also we could not immediately identify because they were burnt beyond recognition. We went with some pathologists and doctors to pick the remains and they are going to run forensic tests on them to confirm the identities of the victims," he said.

The DG said the search to locate the black box and any further information that could be obtained from the crash site would continue.

According to him, the AIB team is still in the place and also are the Wings Aviation officials, to continue with investigations on the possible cause of the crash as well as other vital security information

"I wish to say here that due to the terrain and bad weather, search operations are being hampered. It has not been easy to carry out recovery operations on the crash site. The cloud haze was constantly covering up the area and making flight movement extremely difficult," he said.

He said the search team had to beat a quick retreat from the site because of the hazy cloud that had constantly covered the area.

Recounting the events leading to the eventual sighting of the crashed plane, Audu-Bida said earliest information on the discovery of the wreckage of the missing Wings Aviation's Beechcraft 1900 reached NEMA at about 11am on Tuesday from the Chairman of the Obanliku LGA, Dr. Godwin Amanke.

"Immediately we got the information, we despatched our search and rescue helicopter from Abuja to the area. but because of the bad weather around the area, the helicopter could not land, they tried again but couldn't land. The search party along with top officials of NEMA had to wait until the next day and had to retire to the nearby Bebi Airstrip waiting for the weather to improve. On the second day, they left Bebi Airstrip hoping for a change in whether. It was only at the third attempt that we were able to land at the place," he said.

"On inspection, we were able to locate a wreckage of an aircraft which we expect the AIB will confirm to us after they have conducted their investigation to determine if it is the same aircraft that we are looking for," he added.

He however gave credit to the resilience of the villagers who persevered all through the period of the long search for the crashed plane until it was eventually found last Saturday.

"They were very helpful. We went to them and they showed us where the plane was," he said.

He also expressed appreciation to the Chairman of Obanliku for his commitment during the search operations.

He said the security of the crash site had been put under the combined supervision of the LG authority and the Nigeria Police to prevent unauthorised tempering of the wreckage.

The DG said efforts were being made to ensure that investigations into the crashed plane are concluded in no too distant time so as to lay to rest controversies surrounding its disappearance.

The spokesman of Wings Aviation, Captain Michael Omokore, told THISDAY that the airline had identified the aircraft as the missing Beechcraft 1900D. He said the remains of the crew "which were partly skeleton, partly flesh" were also recovered, but the pathologists would have to confirm their identities today.

"We have been able to confirm the wreckage of the aircraft; it is our aircraft. We recovered the bodies, which are partly skeletal, partly flesh, but we are waiting for pathologists to confirm the identity of the remains. I am still in Cross River state; we hope to ascertain the identity of the remains from the pathologists," he said.

Meanwhile, the NCAA has warned all pilots flying the airspace to adhere to minimal weather conditions specified for all the airports.

In a statement signed by the Media Assistant to the Director General of NCAA, Mr. Sam Adurogboye, yesterday in Lagos, NCAA said the warning came on the heels of the nation's weather which according to him is characterised by thunderstorm, severe turbulence, microburst, wind shear events, poor visibility and contaminated runways.

He stated that a letter from the NCAA Director-General, Dr, Harold Demuren, to that effect had since been sent to chief executive officers of airlines, director of flight operations and pilots for strict compliance.

According to him, "pilots as a matter of duty should recognise that wind shear are a hazard, the signs that may indicate its presence and avoid wind shear by delay or diversion".

The statement added: "Pilots must prepare for an encounter by a speed margin if energy loss is expected, recover, know the techniques recommended for their aircraft and use them without hesitation if wind shear is encountered and report encounters immediately to ATC."

The statement also reminded pilots that apart from the pre-flight briefing, including the briefing by Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET) of forecast weather conditions which is mandatory for every flight, they should also carefully review the procedures of their aircraft whenever a forecast shows that thunderstorms or other adverse weather conditions might exist for any portion of the flights.