Lagos — Following Wednesday's controlled ditching of a Bristow Helicopter, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has suspended the operation of the Bristow Helicopters Limited's Sikorsky S-76X++ type till further notice.

The Helicopter ditched inside the high sea around 10 a.m on Wednesday with 11 passengers including two crew members on board.

Daily Trust reports that it is the same type of Helicopter also operated by the company that was involved in a crash on August the 12th, 2015 killing six of the 12 souls on board.

Due to frequency of the crash involving the aircraft type, the NCAA decided to wield the big stick and suspended the operation of the series to enable it carry out a full scale audit on its operations with particular emphasis on its Sikorsky S- 76C++ type.

"This is not new in the industry, it is one of the Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) all over the world", Usman said.

He said the decision was without prejudice to the ongoing investigation of Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB), adding that the authority would fully support the bureau in its investigation.

Sikorsky S- 76 aircraft is an American medium - size commercial utility Helicopter manufactured by the Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation. It features twin turbo shaft engines; four- blades, main and tail rotors with a retractable landing gear.