The Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau has highlighted flaws in Max Air‘s maintenance procedures, linking these to a recent incident involving the airline.
The Bureau’s Director General, Akin Olateru, has released a preliminary investigation report that identifies the airline’s failure to adhere to the manufacturer’s recommendations regarding wheel changing.
Furthermore, the report highlights that the airline’s quality control department failed to oversee the maintenance of the brake unit and wheel change prior to the flight’s departure.
Also, on the day of the incident, the Yola Air traffic control system did not record the conversation between the pilot and the duty controller.
Further examination revealed severe fire damage on the no. 2 main wheel assembly during the incident.
The Bureau urges the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) to carry out routine safety management system assessments to determine Max Air’s ability to manage safety effectively.
It has also called on the NCAA to apply appropriate sections of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Regulations 2015, in line with IS 1.3.3 legal enforcement actions, to penalize operators who persistently overwrite cockpit voice recorder information.