This was when an Air Force aircraft disappeared from the radar of NCAA and crashed into the swampy forest of Igbokoda in Ilaje council area of Ondo state killing all the occupants on board. This incident became another national tragedy as the federal government declared a mourning period for the fallen airmen.
The aircraft, identified as NAF 931, was travelling from Benin City in Edo state to Lagos on what the Air Force described as a routine mission when contact with air traffic controllers was lost at about 9:13 in the morning. By Tuesday morning, authorities of the Air Force had confirmed that all 25 persons on board the aircraft had died.
An initially uncertain search-and-rescue operation had therefore become a grim recovery mission, one made considerably more difficult by the swampy terrain into which the aircraft had disappeared.
But beneath the grief, a series of questions began to emerge like what happened to NAF 931 between Benin City and Igbokoda, why was contact with the aircraft lost, was there an emergency before the crash, did the aircraft experience a technical problem and perhaps, what can Nigeria learn from yet another fatal military aviation accident?
As at the time of this report, there is still no definitive answer as investigators have not established the cause of the crash.
The last journey
According to the Nigerian Air Force, NAF 931 was on a routine mission from Benin City to Lagos and belonged to NAF’s 81 Air Maritime Group in Benin City. It was one of the services’ ATR-42 aircraft used principally for maritime patrol and Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance operations with additional search-and-rescue and limited transport capabilities. It was a mission that, on the surface, should have been routine, then, somewhere along the route, communication was lost.
For the people on ground, the first signs were terrifying. Witnesses described hearing a sound similar to a thunder strike. At the scene, following the fatal crash, body parts, clothes and shoes were reportedly found scattered around the crash area.
When swamp became second enemy
Igbokoda is not an ordinary crash site. The aircraft came down in a swampy, mangrove environment close to Naval base with the terrain characterised by waterlogged ground, thick vegetation and deep mud, making movement difficult even under normal circumstances.
For the recovery teams, the accident therefore presented two simultaneous challenges: locating and recovering the victims/aircraft and physically reaching the site.
Ondo state commissioner for health, Dr Banji Ajaka said conventional vehicles and boats could not adequately reach the location where the aircraft had sunk. To that extent the state government deployed specialised swamp buggies to assist the operation. Divers were also deployed to recover portions of the wreckage from underwater and search for victims.
The geography of the area meant that equipment that would normally be available at an accessible crash site could not simply be driven to the scene.
The recovery operation therefore became a test not only of military and emergency capability but also of the ability to adopt conventional search-and-rescue methods to a difficult coastal environment.
Aiyedatiwa visits crash site
Ondo state governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa visited the crash site as search and recovery operations continued and described the incident as a national tragedy.
As at the day he visited the site, what he saw, according to his account, was a gory sight with body parts, clothes, jackets belonging to Air Force personnel and broken aircraft components recovered and preserved for investigation even though the main body of the aircraft was still to be located.
He however directed the Ondo State Ministry of Works to deploy two amphibious machines, popularly known as swamp buggies to open wider access through the waterways.
The machines enabled larger boats to move closer to the crash location and to excavate portions of the soil in the search for the main wreckage while Naval personnel and local divers continued searching the deeper sections of the area for possible bodies and the cockpit.
His visit therefore brought a new dimension to the operation as authorities were no longer concerned only with finding victims, but also needed to locate and preserve the main aircraft components that could help investigators reconstruct the final moments of the flight.
Perhaps, the most significant part of the governor’s account concerned what witnesses believed happened immediately before the crash.
According to Aiyedatiwa, residents who witnessed the incident said the aircraft appeared to be coming down with a sound suggesting an engine problem and was heading towards the community before apparently changing direction.
He said the aircraft crashed approximately 200 metres from the community and suggested that the pilot may have maneuvered it away from the populated area before it went into the swamp.
If eventually confirmed by investigators, such a manoeuvre could prove significant in understanding the aircraft’s final trajectory and the absence of a larger civilian catastrophe.
Aiyedatiwa commiserated with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Nigerian Air Force and the families of the deceased, describing the victims as Nigerians who had committed themselves to defending the country’s territorial integrity.
Meanwhile, the Commander Nigerian Navy Forward Operating Base, Igbokoda, Captain Andy Alemongwa briefed the governor on the progress of the search-and-recovery operation.
The briefing came as Navy personnel, divers and other responders continued the painstaking search for the missing bodies and the main wreckage.
Arrival of the Air Chief
As the recovery operation continued, the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke, visited the crash site where he expressed deep sorrow over the loss and conveyed condolences to the families on behalf of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The tragedy, he said, was particularly painful because he personally knew the crew.
“I know each of the crew personally. They were highly trained, professional and intelligent officers. The best we can do is to honour the sacrifice they have made for the nation,” Aneke said.
The Air Chief also disclosed that he had flown in the same aircraft, while members of his family had also travelled on it.
His personal connection to the aircraft type added a human dimension to an otherwise institutional response.
“This is not the time to start speculating. I plead with the general public to be a little bit patient and let the specialists get to the bottom of what has happened,” he said.
He disclosed that he had directed the Superintendent of Safety and Evaluation to assemble a high-level team comprising military and civilian safety experts, representatives of the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau, emergency management authorities, retired senior military officers and experienced Air Force personnel to examine the circumstances and cause of the crash.
Aneke also insisted that aviation safety remains a major priority for the Nigerian Air Force.
“We in the Air Force leave no stone unturned when it comes to safety. Everything possible is done to ensure safety,” he said.
The Air Chief assured the families that the Nigerian Air Force would provide the necessary support to help them through the difficult period.
In particular, he praised local residents who were among the first responders.
“I want to use this opportunity to thank the good people of Ondo state and our governor. They have committed resources, time and energy. The locals here, the residents here were the first responders,” he said.
“Words cannot describe how we Nigerians come together when things go south,” he added.
Recovery becomes a forensic exercise
By October 7, the Nigerian Navy Hydrographic Department deployed specialised sonar equipment to obtain an underwater picture of the crash location, while Navy divers and NAF drone pilots continued their searches.
A swamp buggy was also prepared to facilitate access to deeper sections of the crash site.
The operation had therefore evolved from a conventional search-and-rescue exercise into a painstaking forensic recovery operation.
The location of the cockpit, engines, propellers, flight controls and other critical components could eventually provide evidence about what happened before impact.
The aircraft’s history
NAF 931 was not a new aircraft as it was acquired by the Nigerian Air Force from Italian aerospace manufacturer Alenia Aeronautica under a contract signed in 2007.
The agreement, reportedly worth about $73 million, covered two aircraft together with training and logistical support.
NAF 930 was delivered in 2009 while NAF 931 arrived in Nigeria in 2010.