US embassy cable - 05LAGOS1748

S E C R E T LAGOS 001748 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR AF/W 
STATE FOR INR/AA 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/09/2015 
TAGS: CASC, EAIR, NI, ASEC, PTER, PREL 
SUBJECT: PRELIMINARY REVIEW YIELDS NO "SMOKING GUN" IN 
BELLVIEW DEBRIS 
 
REF: LAGOS 1743 AND PREVIOUS 
 
Classified By: Consul General Brian L. Browne for Reasons 1.4 (B) and ( 
D) 
 
1.  (S) Explosives forensics experts performed a preliminary 
examination of the Bellview plane crash debris thus far 
collected.  Visual inspection of the plane fragment in 
question showed no clear sign of explosive damage, according 
to the experts.  The suspect piece was swabbed, and the 
samples will be transported to the FBI laboratory for more 
precise analysis.  Testing will take approximately two days. 
Should this yield positive results for explosives, additional 
tests will be performed, taking two to three additional days. 
 Test results will be delivered to GON to assist with their 
ongoing investigation. 
 
2.  (S) Legal Attache, the on-site National Transportation 
Safety Board (NTSB) representative, and the forensics team 
briefed Aviation Minister Borishade, Director of the Accident 
Investigation and Prevention Bureau Angus Ozoka, and three 
explosives experts from the State Security Service on the 
preliminary results.  However, the team stressed that 
although examination of the subject fragment did not yield 
evidence of an explosion, it could not yet be definitively 
concluded that an explosion did not take place.  The USG 
experts cautioned the Nigerian side that debris collection 
and analysis must continue so that we can get as complete a 
picture as possible, and that any additional questionable 
discoveries must be evaluated carefully if they appear. 
 
3.  (S) GON personnel will continue excavation at the crash 
site and the movement of the debris to the hangar where they 
will attempt to fit the pieces together.  The NTSB team is 
suspending work for approximately two weeks until additional 
debris is transported to the hangar.  The NTSB representative 
said the work of reconstructing the plane will be 
time-consuming and slow.  This work would be facilitated by 
discovery of the flight data recorders, he added.  So far, 
the data recorders have not been found at the Bellview site. 
BROWNE