Posted by By SAMOD BIOBAKU on
Each time she remembers the tragic crash of Sosoliso flight number 1145 of December 10, 2005, two things race through her mind. First, she prays for the repose of the souls of the departed. Secondly, she looks up to God, hands clasped in supplication to the Almighty 'for his mercies."
Each time she remembers the tragic crash of Sosoliso flight number 1145 of December 10, 2005, two things race through her mind. First, she prays for the repose of the souls of the departed. Secondly, she looks up to God, hands clasped in supplication to the Almighty 'for his mercies."
She is one of Nollywood's most delectable actresses. Her name is Omotola Jolade-Ekeinde, wife of airline Captain Matthew Ekeinde.
Of course, the mercies for which she remains grateful to God is the life of her hubby whose job keeps him in the risky skies most of the time.
While she prays for him, the fair complexioned pilot revealed at a public forum in Lagos midweek that it was sheer providence that saved him from also being a casualty in the Sosoliso tragedy.
According to Captain Ekeinde, prior to the crash, he had piloted the same aircraft and handed over to Captain Benjamin Adebayo, before the accident happened.
He told a stunned audience at the Sheraton Lagos Hotel and Towers, Ikeja that he had flown the same aircraft that crashed in Port Harcourt a few hours before he handed over to late Captain Abebayo. It was in that crash that about 107 persons died.
In the light of this unfortunate incidents in the Nigerian aviation sector, Captain Ekeinde told Sunday Sun that the string of accidents had dealt a heavy blow on the integrity of pilots in the country.
Saved by the whiskers
'I handed over that particular aircraft to Captain Adebayo. It could have been any other pilot in that plane; even me. It's very unfortunate and we can only pray for the soul of the departed. We pray this will mark the end of such tragic occurrences."
Cause of crash
'A lot has been said about what may have caused the crash. What we've heard is that the plane was caught in an unfortunate weather condition. We are told that the bad weather on that day (Saturday) might have caused the accident. Some said it burst into flames. This cannot be ascertained until after investigations. However, there's an explanation for this sort of occurrence. It is what we describe as an 疎ir burst.' We do approximately 300km/h when we're coming in (landing). The force of the wind could cause an air burst. If that was the case, then the 疎ir burst' must have slammed into the aircraft from above. The effect of that could be fatal as in the case of this incident."
Nigerian pilots are good
'Pilots in Nigeria are well trained. There's no doubt about that. I hold a Nigerian, British and American licenses. The same applies to most pilots in the country. They all hold these licenses. One thing that worries me is that pilots are over-stretched in Nigeria. We have an aviation school in Zaria. This school should normally turn out at least 30 pilots every year. However, that isn't the case today."
Training abroad
'To train abroad, you need between $45, 000 and $50, 000. This is the truth of the matter and we need more pilot intakes."
Passengers ask too many questions
'You would be surprised at what now happens before an airplane takes off. It's very embarrassing. Passengers harass pilots these days. They now peep into the cockpit and ask all kinds of questions. Some ask questions like 善ilot, are you sure this plane is in good condition?' Do they think I want to kill myself? I have four children and a beautiful wife who loves me. They should realise that we (pilots) also have loved ones. I would never fly a plane that is not technically certified to fly. It's suicidal to do that."