US embassy cable - 05LAGOS1705

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