Nigerian air force opens investigation into fatal ATR 42 crash

The Nigerian air force is investigating the loss of one of its ATR 42 twin-turboprops on 5 October during what it described as a routine mission.

The aircraft was on a flight from Benin City to Lagos when, on approach, it lost contact with air traffic controllers. Festus Keyamo, the Nigerian aviation minister, said efforts to contact the crew by radio were unsuccessful. Information later confirmed the aircraft had crashed near a naval base in Igbokoda, Ondo State.

Keyamo said preliminary information indicated 25 passengers and seven crew members were on board, with no survivors. The aircraft was identified by registration NAF931 and was built in the ATR 42MP Surveyor maritime patrol configuration. The same platform had been displayed at the 2010 Farnborough air show in the UK, shortly after entering service in March of that year. The fleet previously had two aircraft of the surveillance type.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu said the chief of air staff, Air Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke, had briefed him and that he had directed the air force to begin a thorough investigation into the cause of the crash to prevent future occurrences.