The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has begun efforts to recover the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder of its ATR-42 aircraft that crashed in Igbokoda, headquarters of Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo State, killing 25 people.

The aircraft, which was on a routine mission from Benin City, Edo State, to Lagos, crashed into a swamp near the Nigerian Navy’s Forward Operating Base (FOB) in Igbokoda on Monday.

The crash claimed the lives of 20 passengers and five crew members, while the aircraft became submerged in the swamp, complicating recovery operations.

Speaking on Friday at the crash site in Igbokoda, NAF Superintendent of Standards and Evaluation, Air Vice Marshal Ebimobo Ebiowe, said investigators were searching for critical components of the wreckage that could help establish the circumstances surrounding the tragedy.

He identified the flight data recorder (FDR), commonly known as the “black box” and the cockpit voice recorder (CVR) as key components investigators hoped to recover.

“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.

“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),” Ebiowe said.

The Nation gathered that the recorders are expected to provide crucial evidence for investigators seeking to reconstruct the aircraft’s final moments and determine the factors that led to the crash.

Aviation experts had told our Correspondent in Akure that recovering and analysing the devices could provide important clues to the cause of the accident, although their findings would have to be assessed alongside other evidence from the wreckage and crash site.

One of the experts, Mr Olugbenga Afolabi, said the recorders were among the critical components investigators would be looking for.

Their recovery, he added, could help investigators establish what happened during the flight’s final moments.

“The flight data recorder captures information about an aircraft’s performance and flight parameters, while the cockpit voice recorder preserves cockpit conversations, alarms and other sounds that could help investigators understand the crew’s actions before the crash,” Mr Afolabi said.

The development came a few days after the Nigerian Navy deployed specialised ‘sonar equipment’ to locate the submerged aircraft as recovery operations continue.

The Chief of the Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Idi Abbas, directed the Nigerian Navy Hydrographic Department to deploy personnel and advanced sonar-scanning equipment to the site to obtain an underwater picture of the crash location.

Abbas said the deployment became necessary because of the swamp’s high turbidity, which has made underwater visibility extremely difficult.

The Commanding Officer of the Officers’ Mess at the Forward Operating Base, Igbokoda, Navy Captain Andy Alemongwa, who received the personnel, had said the sonar survey would help map the crash site and establish the precise location of the submerged aircraft.

He explained that the information would guide divers and other technical personnel involved in the recovery operation.

“The operation is also being supported by Nigerian Navy divers and NAF drone pilots conducting searches across the surrounding mangrove and forested areas,” Alemongwa said.

The Flag Officer Commanding, Western Naval Command, Rear Admiral Abubakar Abdullahi Mustapha, and the Air Officer Commanding, Logistics Command, NAF, Air Vice Marshal Abubakar Abdul Suleh, were also on ground to inspect the crash site.

Earlier, the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke, assured that the military would conduct a comprehensive investigation to establish the circumstances surrounding the crash and prevent a recurrence.

Aneke, who appealed to the public to avoid speculation, said a high-level team comprising military and civilian aviation safety experts had been constituted to investigate the incident.

He said the team would include safety specialists, representatives of the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau, the Accident Investigation Bureau, emergency management agencies, retired senior military officers and experienced NAF personnel.

The Air Chief said the investigation would leave no stone unturned in determining what went wrong.

“I have inspected the crash site, and I want to use this opportunity to thank the good people of Ondo State and our governor. They have committed resources, time and energy.

“I had informed my Superintendent of Safety and Evaluation to come up with a high-level delegation comprising both military and civilian safety experts, the NTSB, Accident and Emergency Management Board, retired senior officers and experienced Air Force officers, to sit down and get to the bottom of what happened,” he said.

Aneke urged Nigerians to allow specialists to complete their investigation, noting that the loss of the personnel was a tragedy for the armed forces and the country.

“This is not the time to start speculating, and I plead with the general public. We’ve lost people who are fighting for the nation. The best we can do for them is to be a little bit patient and let those who are specialists get to the bottom of what has happened.

“If you know the aviation environment, you understand that the more activities you have, the more likelihood you have of incidents like this. We in the Air Force leave no stone unturned. When it comes to safety, everything is ensured,” the Air Chief said.

He also disclosed that he and members of his family had previously flown in the same aircraft, expressing grief over the deaths of the crew members, whom he described as highly trained and professional officers.

“I basically knew everyone on that flight. I have flown on this aeroplane. My family has flown on this aeroplane. I know each of the crew personally. They are highly trained, professional and intelligent officers. (the Nation)