LAGOS — The Accident Investigation Bureau, AIB, has commenced investigations into the cause of the crash of an helicopter at Obanla Hill area of Osun State which killed all three occupants on board, last Friday.

Although witnesses said the chopper crashed into a tree in the mountainous area, the AIB said yesterday it was too early to decipher the cause of the accident.

Spokesman for AIB, Mr. Tunji Oketunbi, told Vanguard last night that the agency’s investigators had taken over the crash site, looking for clues that could point to cause of accident.

Oketunbi said it would be difficult to tell what caused the until the investigators sent to Osogbo returned to Lagos.

He added: “Our men have taken over the crash site; they left Lagos for the place, Friday. At present, they are on ground, talking to people, eyewitnesses, to know what exactly led to the crash.  There are a lot of people they would talk to in the painstaking process of conducting the investigation.

“We are expecting some of them today (yesterday) and when they return, we will begin to have an idea of what happened. Besides, we are yet to receive from the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency, NAMA, transcript of the conversation between the pilot and control tower.”

Spokesman for NAMA, Mr. Supo Atobatele, could not be reached last night, as his mobile number was permanently engaged.

However, the National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, is meeting with airline operators in Lagos Thursday on the need for them to instal in their aircraft the 406 MHZ locator beacon.

The location beacon assist rescue teams to locate the exact spot of an air crash, as it transmits signals to airline offices and relevant government agencies on impact.

The ill-fated helicoper, at the time of crash was operated by Odengene Aviation Services, OAS, based at Maryland, Ikeja.