ICAO appoints AIB investigator as BAGAIA’s new helmsman

The International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) has appointed Engr. Charles Irikefe Erhueh, a safety investigator with the Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) Nigeria, as the new Commissioner of the Banjul Accord Group Accident Investigation Agency (BAGAIA). Erhueh was picked after a thorough recruitment process in which various applicants from within and outside the member states applied […]

The International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) has appointed Engr. Charles Irikefe Erhueh, a safety investigator with the Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) Nigeria, as the new Commissioner of the Banjul Accord Group Accident Investigation Agency (BAGAIA).

Erhueh was picked after a thorough recruitment process in which various applicants from within and outside the member states applied for the advertised position.

The BAGAIA is coordinated by ICAO to assist its member states, comprising of seven West African states namely Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, Cape Verde and Sierra Leone, in the conduct of independent investigation of aircraft accidents and serious incidents in compliance with international standards.

With headquarters in Cape Verde, the agency also promotes the use of a common set of regulations compliant with the provisions of Annex 13 to the Chicago Convention by its member states. This includes regulations for the protection of safety data with the purpose of accident prevention.

Nigeria has been playing a leading role in the establishment of the sub-regional body, which is the only well established and properly equipped accident investigation body in the region.

Engr. Erhueh, an indigene of Delta State, holds a Bachelor of Engineering degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the Federal University of Technology, Minna; a certificate in Aircraft Engineering Special (AES-VII) from the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT); and a post-graduate certificate in Safety and Accident Investigation (Air Transport) from Cranfield University, United Kingdom.

He also holds an Aircraft Maintenance Engineering Licence (AMEL), a Cabin Crew Licence B737-200 and has undergone various trainings in aircraft accident investigation.

The new BAGAIA Commissioner is a Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) and a member of Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN).