The flight recorders of the Nigerian Air Force ATR-42 aircraft that crashed in Ondo State, killing all 25 persons on board, have yet to be recovered two weeks after the accident.
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The military aircraft, with registration number NGR 931, crashed into a swampy area in Igbokoda, Ondo State, on Monday, October 5, 2026, after losing contact with air traffic controllers.
The aircraft reportedly lost communication with Air Traffic Control at about 9:13 a.m. before crashing near a naval base in Igbokoda.
All 25 persons on board, including crew members, died in the crash.
Following the accident, the Federal Government constituted an investigative committee to determine the immediate and remote causes of the crash.
However, two weeks into the investigation, the aircraft’s black box, comprising the Flight Data Recorder and Cockpit Voice Recorder, has not been located.
While parts of the aircraft’s fuselage have reportedly been recovered in pieces, investigators are continuing the search for the recorders in the swampy crash site.
A source close to the investigative committee disclosed that specialists had been engaged to assist in locating the devices and expressed confidence that they would eventually be recovered despite the difficult terrain.
The recovery of the flight recorders is considered an important part of the investigation because they could provide investigators with critical information about the aircraft’s final moments.
The Flight Data Recorder preserves technical information relating to the aircraft’s operation, while the Cockpit Voice Recorder captures communications and sounds within the cockpit.
Information from both devices can assist investigators in reconstructing the sequence of events leading to an accident and determining whether mechanical, operational, environmental or other factors contributed to the crash.
Although an aviation accident investigation can also rely on wreckage examination, maintenance records, air traffic communications, witness accounts and other evidence, the continued absence of the flight recorders could complicate efforts to establish precisely what happened aboard the aircraft before impact.
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