A Nigerian Air Force aircraft that crashed in Igbokoda, Ondo State, on Monday reportedly disappeared from radar shortly after taking off from Benin City, raising questions about what happened during its final moments.
The aircraft, identified by its tail number NGR 931, was travelling from Benin to Lagos when air traffic controllers lost contact with it at about 9:13 a.m.
A senior air traffic controller familiar with the aircraft’s journey told The PUNCH that communication was established shortly after take-off but was later lost. Repeated attempts to reconnect with the aircraft were unsuccessful.
“I must tell you that this is looking somehow shoddy. When the aircraft took off, we were in touch with it shortly afterward, but it disappeared from the radar. Efforts to reach it were unsuccessful,” the source said.
According to the source, personnel at nearby reporting points in Okitipupa later reported hearing a loud bang believed to have been the sound of the crash.
The military subsequently launched search-and-rescue operations after the aircraft was reported missing. The aircraft was eventually located in a swampy area close to the Naval Base in Igbokoda, the headquarters of Ilaje Local Government Area.
Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, confirmed that air traffic controllers had informed him about the aircraft’s disappearance.
He said all efforts to establish radio contact with the aircraft had proved unsuccessful before information later emerged that it had crashed near the naval base.
Keyamo disclosed that 32 people were aboard the aircraft, comprising 25 passengers and seven crew members.
At the initial stage of the rescue operation, the condition of those on board had not been independently confirmed. However, Ondo State Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa later said no survivors had been found at the crash site.
Local residents and fishermen reportedly joined military and emergency personnel in attempting to access the wreckage, which had entered a difficult swampy section of the creek.
One resident, identified as Sola, said the crash occurred while it was drizzling and that residents heard a loud sound from the area.
“We heard a very loud sound at the area where the incident happened, but we couldn’t get there because the place is a swampy area inside the creek,” he said.
The Nigerian Air Force confirmed that the aircraft was an ATR-42 on a routine mission from Benin to Lagos and said it had immediately activated search-and-rescue operations in coordination with relevant authorities.
Police authorities in Ondo State also confirmed that an investigation had commenced and urged residents to avoid circulating unverified information while efforts continued to establish the full circumstances surrounding the crash.
President Bola Tinubu has directed the Nigerian Air Force to conduct a thorough investigation into the cause of the accident. Investigators are expected to examine the wreckage, air traffic control records, weather conditions, maintenance history, flight path and cockpit communications.
Attention is also focused on the aircraft’s flight recorder, commonly known as the black box, which could provide crucial information about what happened before the aircraft went down.
The circumstances surrounding the aircraft’s disappearance from radar, the weather conditions at the time and other factors are expected to form part of the investigation. Witness claims that the aircraft circled before crashing have not been independently verified.
As recovery efforts continue, authorities are expected to provide further information on the victims and the cause of the crash once the investigation progresses.
