The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has commenced recovery efforts for the flight data recorder (FDR) and cockpit voice recorder (CVR) of the ATR-42 aircraft that crashed in Igbokoda, Ondo State. The announcement was made by Ebimobo Ebiowe, NAF's superintendent of standards and evaluation, during a visit to the crash site on Friday, October 9, 2026.
Recovery of Critical Components Underway
Ebiowe confirmed that investigators are combing through the wreckage to locate the recorders, which are expected to provide crucial data on the events leading up to the disaster. "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)."
The FDR is an electronic device that captures performance data and system readings throughout a flight, while the CVR records audio from the cockpit, including crew communications and ambient sounds. These tools are essential for accident investigators to piece together the sequence of events before the crash.
Navy Deploys Sonar Equipment to Aid Search
Recovery efforts have been complicated by the challenging terrain of the swampy crash site. On Wednesday, October 7, 2026, the Chief of Naval Staff, Idi Abbas, directed the Nigerian Navy's hydrographic department to send personnel and advanced sonar-scanning equipment to Igbokoda. Abbas noted that the swamp's high turbidity had severely limited underwater visibility, making it difficult for divers to locate submerged parts of the aircraft. The sonar equipment is expected to provide an underwater picture of the crash area, helping teams identify where key wreckage, including the recorders, may be lying.
All 25 On Board Confirmed Dead
In a related development, the NAF confirmed that all 25 people on board NAF 931, including five crew members, died in the crash. The ATR-42 aircraft was on a routine mission from Benin to Lagos when it went down in the Igbokoda area. The Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke, has ordered a full investigation and opened a condolence register at NAF Headquarters in Abuja. The recovery of the black box and CVR remains a priority to determine the cause of the tragic incident.
