Ondo Plane Crash, Governor Points to Possible Technical Fault, Not Bad Weather

(Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa. Photo by The Sun Nigeria)

Ondo State Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa has said a technical or mechanical fault, followed by a loss of signal, may have caused the Nigerian Air Force plane crash in Igbokoda.

He ruled out bad weather as a likely cause.

He said this on Monday during an online interview, hours after the NAF ATR-42 aircraft went down in the Igbokoda area of Ilaje Local Government Area.

The plane was on a routine trip from Benin to Lagos when it crashed in a swampy area opposite the Naval Base.

The Air Force then began a search and rescue operation.

Aiyedatiwa said the plane may have developed a fault in the air, which cut off contact with the control tower.

He said the flight was not trying to land, so something technical must have gone wrong.

He added that if the weather had been bad, the plane would not have taken off at all, since the trip from Benin to Lagos is short and pilots would simply wait for it to clear.

On survivors, the governor said none had been found so far, based on the information he had.

He described the incident as very painful.

The aircraft, with tail number NGR 931, crashed on Monday morning after it lost radio contact while heading from Benin to Lagos.

Aviation Minister Festus Keyamo said air traffic controllers could not reach the plane by radio before it was confirmed to have crashed near the Naval Base in Igbokoda.

He said early information showed 25 passengers and seven crew members were on board, and that the wreckage had been found as rescue efforts continued.

The Nigerian Air Force earlier confirmed that the aircraft was an ATR-42 on a routine mission and said it was working with relevant authorities and emergency agencies on the search and rescue.