A Nigerian Air Force ATR-42 aircraft, identified by its tail number as NGR 931, crashed near the Naval Base in Igbokoda, Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo State, on Monday. The aircraft was on a routine flight from Benin City in Edo State to Lagos when air traffic controllers lost contact with it at about 9:13am. The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, disclosed that 25 passengers and seven crew members were on board, bringing the total number of people aboard to 32.
The Nigerian Air Force confirmed that it had activated a search and rescue operation after the aircraft disappeared from radar and that the wreckage was subsequently located close to the Naval Base in Igbokoda. At the time of the latest official updates, authorities had not formally released a final casualty figure, although some reports had claimed that all those aboard may have died. The circumstances surrounding the crash are also yet to be established.
Investigators will be expected to examine the aircraft's flight path, communications with air traffic control, weather conditions, maintenance records, crew actions and other technical evidence before determining what happened. The Igbokoda crash has inevitably brought back memories of earlier aviation disasters that have claimed hundreds of lives in Nigeria and in accidents involving Nigerian airlines and military aircraft outside the country.
One of the most important corrections to the historical record is that the deadliest crash involving a Nigerian airline did not occur in Nigeria. On July 11, 1991, Nigeria Airways Flight 2120, operated by Nationair Canada on behalf of Nigeria Airways, crashed shortly after taking off from King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, while carrying Nigerian pilgrims returning from the Hajj.
The McDonnell Douglas DC-8-61 caught fire shortly after take-off and crashed while attempting to return to the airport. All 261 people aboard, comprising 247 passengers and 14 crew members, were killed. Current aviation records confirm the 261 fatalities and identify the disaster as the worst accident involving Nigeria Airways.
The Kano 1973 disaster remains the deadliest aviation accident to occur on Nigerian soil. A Boeing 707 chartered by Nigeria Airways from Alia Royal Jordanian Airlines was carrying Nigerian pilgrims from Jeddah to Lagos when bad weather forced the flight to divert to Kano. The aircraft crashed while attempting to land at Kano International Airport, resulting in 176 fatalities.
Other notable aviation disasters in Nigeria include the 1969 Nigeria Airways Flight 825 crash, which killed all 87 people aboard, and the 1992 NAF C-130 crash, which recorded 159 fatalities. These incidents highlight the need for continued improvement in aviation safety and maintenance in Nigeria.
Key points
- The deadliest crash involving a Nigerian airline occurred in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, in 1991, resulting in 261 fatalities.
- The Kano 1973 disaster remains the deadliest aviation accident to occur on Nigerian soil, with 176 fatalities.
- The Nigerian Air Force ATR-42 aircraft crash near Igbokoda has reopened a painful chapter in Nigeria's aviation history.
