Nearly two weeks after a Nigerian Air Force (NAF) ATR-42 aircraft crashed in Igbokoda, Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo State, the aircraft’s flight data recorder (FDR) and cockpit voice recorder (CVR), commonly known as black boxes, are yet to be found, Daily Trust can report.
The aircraft, identified as NAF 931, crashed into a swamp on October 5 while on a routine flight from Benin City, Edo State, to Lagos, killing all 25 people on board, comprising 20 passengers and five crew members.
Daily Trust reports that the missing devices are critical to determining the circumstances surrounding the crash, as they contain information about the aircraft’s technical performance and cockpit conversations before the accident.
It will be recalled that the NAF had set up a specialist aircraft accident investigation board to determine the circumstances and causes of the crash and recommend measures to prevent a recurrence.
The committee also includes representatives of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB), bringing additional civilian aviation expertise to the process.
Recently, the Air Force announced that efforts were underway to locate the recorders.
Speaking at the crash site, the NAF Superintendent of Standards and Evaluation, Air Vice Marshal Ebimobo Ebiowe, stressed the importance of examining the wreckage.
“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.
However, the swampy terrain and poor underwater visibility have complicated operations at the site, a source said.
As of Sunday, the black boxes have not been found, according to a source privy to the ongoing investigation who spoke to our correspondent in confidence.
“We are making very frantic efforts to recover the black boxes to hasten the investigation process,” the source said.
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It would be recalled that the Nigerian Navy deployed specialised sonar-scanning equipment to help locate the submerged wreckage, while heavy-duty amphibious excavators, commonly known as swamp buggies, were brought in to remove mud and improve access to the aircraft.
The flight data recorder captures technical information about an aircraft’s operation, while the cockpit voice recorder preserves cockpit audio, including communications that could help investigators reconstruct events leading up to an accident.
Although the devices are valuable investigative tools, authorities may also rely on air traffic control records, witness accounts and physical evidence from the crash site.
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