‎ NAF, Navy Intensify Search For Crashed Aircraft’s Black Boxes In Ondo

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The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has begun searching for the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder of its ATR-42 aircraft that crashed in Igbokoda, Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo State, killing 25 people.

The aircraft, which was on a routine mission from Benin City, Edo State, to Lagos, crashed into a swamp near the Nigerian Navy’s Forward Operating Base in Igbokoda on Monday. The victims comprised 20 passengers and five crew members.

Speaking on Friday at the crash site, the NAF Superintendent of Standards and Evaluation, Air Vice Marshal Ebimobo Ebiowe, said investigators were searching for critical components of the wreckage that could help establish the circumstances surrounding the crash.

He identified the flight data recorder (FDR), commonly known as the black box, and the cockpit voice recorder (CVR) as key components investigators hoped to retrieve.

“We hope to be able to find critical components of the aircraft that will speak to the investigators because the aircraft wreckage actually speaks to the investigators,” Ebiowe said.

He added: “One of them is what the ordinary man (civilian) calls the black box. We call it the flight data recorder (FDR), and another component close to it, the cockpit voice recorder (CVR).”

Recovering the devices could provide investigators with vital information about the aircraft’s final moments and help establish the factors that led to the crash.

An aviation expert, Olugbenga Afolabi, told our correspondent that the recorders were among the critical components investigators would be looking for.

According to him, the flight data recorder captures information about the aircraft’s performance and flight parameters, while the cockpit voice recorder preserves cockpit conversations, alarms and other sounds that could help investigators reconstruct events before the crash.

Meanwhile, the Nigerian Navy has deployed specialised sonar equipment to locate the submerged aircraft as recovery operations continue.

The Chief of the Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Idi Abbas, directed the Nigerian Navy Hydrographic Department to deploy personnel and advanced sonar-scanning equipment to obtain an underwater picture of the crash site.

The deployment was necessary because the swamp’s high turbidity has made underwater visibility extremely difficult.

The Commanding Officer of the Officers’ Mess at the Forward Operating Base in Igbokoda, Navy Captain Andy Alemongwa, said the sonar survey would help map the crash site and establish the precise location of the submerged aircraft.

He explained that the findings would guide divers and other technical personnel involved in the recovery operation.

“The operation is also being supported by Nigerian Navy divers and NAF drone pilots conducting searches across the surrounding mangrove and forested areas,” Alemongwa said.

The Flag Officer Commanding, Western Naval Command, Rear Admiral Abubakar Abdullahi Mustapha, and the Air Officer Commanding, Logistics Command, NAF, Air Vice Marshal Abubakar Abdul Suleh, were also at the site to inspect the ongoing operations.

Earlier, the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke, assured Nigerians that a comprehensive investigation would be conducted to establish the cause of the crash and prevent a recurrence.

Aneke said a high-level team comprising military and civilian aviation safety experts had been constituted to investigate the incident. He urged Nigerians to avoid speculation while the investigation was ongoing.

He said the team would include safety specialists, representatives of the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau, the Accident Investigation Bureau, emergency management agencies, retired senior military officers and experienced NAF personnel.

“I have inspected the crash site, and I want to use this opportunity to thank the good people of Ondo State and our governor. They have committed resources, time and energy,” he said.

The Air Chief added that the military would leave no stone unturned in determining what went wrong.