A Sikorsky SK76c helicopter, registered as 5N-BQG, which recently crashed near Port Harcourt in Rivers State, was reportedly scrapped and deregistered by a Canadian company in 2018, according to investigations by SaharaReporters.
The helicopter, owned by EastWind Aviation, was transporting contract workers to the FPSO-NUIMS ANTAN facility when it tragically plunged into the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Bonny Finima on Thursday, October 24, 2024.
Manufactured in 1997, the helicopter bore the manufacturer's serial number (MSN) 760486. It had a complex ownership history, initially delivered to Helikopter Service as SE-JFB before being sold to an aviation company in Hong Kong and registered as B-KCR. In 2004, it was acquired by Nigerian airline Aero Contractors and registered as 5N-BGN.
In 2009, the helicopter was purchased by CHC Global Ops in Canada, which registered it as C-FXXV. Between June 2011 and July 2013, it was outsourced to Premiair, an aviation services provider in Indonesia. The helicopter was later returned to CHC Global Ops, maintaining the same registration number.