The Director General of the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB), Capt. Alex Badeh Jr., has confirmed that the final report on the October 24, 2024 helicopter crash in Port Harcourt will be released before the end of 2025.

In an interview on Channels Television’s Newsnight on Monday, Badeh stated, “We’ve gotten to the bottom of it… we pretty much have an idea of what happened.”

The accident involved a Sikorsky SK76 helicopter operated by East Wind Aviation and contracted by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL). The aircraft, with registration number 5N-BQG, crashed into the Atlantic Ocean near Bonny Finima while en route from the Port Harcourt Military Base to the NUIMANTAN oil rig.

The crash involved eight people, including two crew members and six passengers. Only five bodies were recovered after the incident.

NSIB had earlier recovered the helicopter’s black box, containing the Flight Data Recorder and Cockpit Voice Recorder, which have been critical to the ongoing investigation.