NAF sets up high-level panel to probe Ondo aircraft crash

The Nigerian Air Force has constituted a panel of military and civilian aviation safety experts to investigate the crash of its ATR-42 aircraft in Igbokoda, Ondo State, as recovery teams continue searching the swampy site.

Chief of Air Staff Sunday Aneke announced the inquiry during a visit to the crash site on Thursday, urging the public to avoid speculation about the cause.

The aircraft, registered as NAF 931, crashed on Monday, October 5, while travelling from Benin City to Lagos on a routine mission. It was carrying 25 passengers and seven crew members. Aneke said the panel would include representatives of the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau, accident and emergency management authorities, retired senior military officers and experienced Air Force personnel.

“I had informed my superintendent of safety and evaluation to come up with a high-level delegation comprising both military and civilian safety experts, NSIB, accident and emergency management board, retired senior officers and experienced Air Force officers, to sit down and get to the bottom of what happened,” he said.

“This is not the time to start speculating, and I plead with you, the general public. We’ve lost people who are fighting for the nation. The best we can do for them is to be a little bit patient and let those who are the specialists get to the bottom of what has happened.” Aneke said the service would thoroughly investigate the accident, describing safety as a priority.

“We in the Air Force, we leave no stone unturned. When it comes to safety, everything is ensured,” he said. He described the victims as highly trained professionals and said he personally knew everyone on board. “I basically knew everyone on that flight. I’ve flown on this aeroplane. My family has flown on this aeroplane. I know each of the crew personally.”

The Air Force chief called the crash a “very big loss” to the military and the victims’ families. “The best we can do is to honour the sacrifice they have put on those on board this aeroplane,” he said.

Recovery operations have been hampered by thick mangroves, murky water and deep mud at the site near the Naval Base in Igbokoda. Aneke commended the Ondo State Government and local residents for supporting the operation, noting that community members were among the first to respond. “The locals here, the residents here, were the first responders. I’ve been briefed by the commander of the Naval here,” he said.

He also pledged assistance for the bereaved families. “The Nigerian Air Force is putting everything possible to ensure that the families get the necessary support they need,” he said. Teams are still searching for the main wreckage and victims’ remains, while working to recover aircraft components that could assist the investigation.