A Nigerian Air Force (NAF) ATR-42 transport aircraft, tail number NGR 931, crashed into a swampy creek in Igbokoda, the headquarters of Ilaje Local Government Area in Ondo State, on Monday, October 5, 2026. The aircraft, carrying 25 passengers and 7 crew members, disappeared from radar shortly after departing Benin City, Edo State, on a routine flight to Lagos. The crash has triggered a complex search and rescue operation, with military personnel and local fishermen working to reach the wreckage in the difficult terrain.
Aircraft Vanishes from Radar Shortly After Takeoff
Air traffic controllers lost contact with the aircraft at approximately 9:13 am, moments after it took off from Benin City. A senior Air Traffic Controller, speaking anonymously because he was not authorised to comment on the matter, expressed serious concerns about the sudden loss of communication. "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 PUNCH, the source added that personnel at the nearest reporting points in Okitipupa later reported hearing a loud bang, believed to be the sound of the crash. He described the sudden loss of communication as suspicious, noting the aircraft "just vanished until the crash." "Almost immediately after it took off, we lost communication with it. There was no communication, nothing. And that makes it suspicious," he said, adding that details would become clearer as rescue and recovery operations progressed.
Aviation Minister Confirms Crash and Ongoing Rescue
Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development Festus Keyamo confirmed the crash and said search and rescue operations were ongoing near a Naval Base in Igbokoda. Keyamo stated that air traffic controllers had alerted him to the aircraft's disappearance and later confirmed that the wreckage had been located. "All efforts to raise the aircraft on radio proved abortive," Keyamo said, adding: "The wreckage has been located, and search and rescue operations are ongoing."
Keyamo confirmed the aircraft carried 25 passengers and seven crew members. The identities and condition of those on board had not been officially disclosed at the time of filing this report.
Rescue Teams Face Difficult Terrain in Swampy Creek
The aircraft's descent into a swampy creek created significant challenges for rescue teams. Military officers from a nearby base led the operation, while local fishermen also assisted in reaching the site. One eyewitness said: "It seems difficult to remove the wreckage because the plane forcefully entered into the swampy area."
A resident who gave his name only as Sola said the crash happened while it was drizzling that morning. "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, adding that no one had been brought out of the wreckage, dead or alive, by the time he spoke.
NAF Activates Search and Rescue, Black Box Recovery Underway
In a statement, NAF Director of Public Relations and Information Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame confirmed the service had activated an immediate search and rescue operation. "The NAF is committed to ensuring the success of the ongoing Search and Rescue efforts. Further details will be communicated in due course," the statement read. Efforts to recover the aircraft's black box were also under way as of the time of this report.
Legit.ng earlier reported that the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has confirmed that all 25 people on board its ATR 42 aircraft, designated NAF 931, perished when the plane came down in the Igbokoda area of Ondo State on October 6, 2026. The aircraft was carrying five crew members and 20 passengers on what was described as a routine mission from Benin to Lagos.
