BELLVIEW PLANE CRASH INVESTIGATION: AVIATION

C O N F I D E N T I A L LAGOS 001705

SIPDIS

TRANSPORTATION FOR FAA
DAKAR PLS PASS TO FAA REP ED JONES
ROME PLS PASS TO TSA REP JOHN HALINSKI

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/30/2015
TAGS: CASC EAIR NI ASEC PREL
SUBJECT: BELLVIEW PLANE CRASH INVESTIGATION: AVIATION
MINISTER AGREES TO ABIDE BY ICAO CONVENTIONS

REF: LAGOS 1675 AND PREVIOUS

Classified By: Consul General Brian L. Browne
for reasons 1.4 (D).


1. (C) Summary. Consul General Browne and National
Transportation and Safety Board (NTSB) Representative Dennis
Jones met Aviation Minister Borishade October 30 to discuss
the Bellview crash investigation. Minister Borishade
conveyed the President's assurances the NTSB team would
receive full GON cooperation. The Minister said he would
like the investigations to be carried out as thoroughly as
possible, with lessons learned reporting and crisis response
procedures implemented for future aircraft. Reversing his
previous position, he agreed with NTSB Jones that both
Bellview and the National Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA)
should participate in the investigation, but stressed that
their roles in the investigation should be publicly clarified
lest the average Nigerian suspect a cover-up. Jones offered
that Bellview and NCAA did not have to be included in the
"core investigation team" but could simply be identified as
technical consultants to the investigation. End Summary.


2. (C) On October 30, Aviation Minister Babalola Borishade
met Consul General and NTSB Jones for an update on the
investigation. Borishade said the NTSB team would receive
full GON cooperation and that those assurances came directly
from the President. He said the USG forensic team's October
29 request for a pathologist and anthropologist had been
granted. He said President Obasanjo had ordered as thorough
an investigation as possible. The CG noted that the
unfortunate history of Nigerian civil aviation was that very
little systemic improvement had been wrought as a consequence
of previous air mishaps. But Minister Borishade had a chance
to break with this unhelpful pattern, but lessons had to be
learned and then implemented. Borishade responded that he
was ready to take the lessons to be learned from the
investigation and turn them into an action plan so the 117
Bellview passengers would not have died in "vain".


3. (C) NTSB Representative Jones informed the Minister that
as a signatory to ICAO Conventions and Annex 13, Nigeria
should allow the aircraft operator, Bellview Airlines, as
well as the civil aviation authority, NCAA, to participate in
the investigation process. Unaware of such requirements, the
Minister had previously decided to exclude the two from
participating in the investigation. Upon learning of these
provisions, he gracefully rescinded the prior decision. He
cautioned, however, that for political and public relations
purposes, he did not want to be seen as eager to include
Bellview for fear that this could tarnish the credibility of
the investigation. It would seem that we are bringing in a
possibly culpable actor to investigate itself, he asserted.
To avoid this conundrum, he agreed with the CG's
recommendation that calling them "technical advisors" or
"consultants" to the investigation would be politically
palatable. He felt comfortable including Bellview and the
NCAA so long as this was viewed as consonant with ICAO
standards, and not done at his own urging.


4. (C) Comment. The Minister appeared sincere in his offer
to assist the NTSB team and abide by ICAO standards. He has
cancelled his trip to the U.S. indefinitely, and he appeared
eager for any information he could share with the President
and the Nigerian public regarding the crash. He is evidently
under pressure from three sides -- those who want this
investigation to happen quickly, those who want it done
thoroughly, and those who want both. He will be handicapped
by his lack of aviation experience, but we hope his political
experience and his apparent desire to do the right thing will
compensate somewhat for a lack of technical expertise. Thus
far he has shown himself to be a willing partner who will
take our advice in the conduct of the investigation. End
Comment.
BROWNE