Prior to its tragic flight in Nigeria, the helicopter, registered 5N-BQG and serial number 760486, had a lengthy and diverse service history with several operators. It was produced in 1997.

When the EastWind Aviation-operated plane crashed into the Atlantic Ocean near Bonny Finima on Thursday, it was carrying contract employees to the FPSO—NUIMS ANTAN complex.

Originally delivered as SE-JFB to Helikopter Service in 1997, the aircraft has undergone multiple ownership changes over the years. With well-known operators including Aero Contractors, CHC Global Ops, and Premiair, it was registered under various IDs in places like Hong Kong, Nigeria, and Canada.

Its registration was revoked in September 2018, and the aircraft was considered “presumably scrapped,” according to Flickr.

A permanent retirement is usually implied by scrapping, in which an aircraft is deemed inoperable and frequently sold for salvage or dismantle because of excessive maintenance expenses, a shortage of parts, or damage.

It is unknown, although, how this decommissioned helicopter was reactivated, re-registered in Nigeria as 5N-BQG, and utilized up until its most recent mishap.

To rescue the black box and other important parts from the debris, the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) is currently using a Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) that can operate in deep waters.

To determine the reason of the disaster, the NSIB is still looking for crucial flight data recorders, according to spokesperson Mrs. Bimbo Olawumi Oladeji.

Wikipedia reports that between 2002 and 2020, six Sikorsky S-76 helicopters crashed.

A primary rotor blade failure caused Bristow Helicopters’ S-76A G-BJVX to crash into the North Sea on July 17, 2002.

Copterline Flight 103, operating a Sikorsky S-76C+, crashed into Tallinn Bay in the Gulf of Finland on August 10, 2005. The hydraulic flight control system’s malfunction was the reason.

An Ornge-operated S-76A air ambulance crashed close to Moosonee Airport in Canada on May 31, 2013. Inadequate pilot training for nighttime operations was the root cause.

Swan Aviation’s S-76C++ TC-HEZ went down on March 10, 2017, while on a private charter flight in Istanbul, Turkey. There was low visibility at the time, but the cause is unknown.

All nine passengers, including retired professional basketball player Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna, perished in the crash of S-76B N72EX on January 26, 2020, in Calabasas, California.

The cause was identified as pilot mistake and spatial disorientation caused by severe fog experienced by pilot Ara Zobayan.

All four members of the military crew were killed when a Philippine Air Force S-76A air ambulance crashed in Basilan Province, Southern Philippines, on September 16, 2020, due to inclement weather.