Ondo State Governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, has said a possible technical or mechanical fault, followed by a loss of communication, may have caused the Nigerian Air Force aircraft crash in Igbokoda, Ilaje Local Government Area of the state.
The governor ruled out bad weather as the likely cause of the incident, saying the aircraft would probably not have taken off if weather conditions had been unsuitable.
Aiyedatiwa made the remarks on Monday during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today, shortly after the Nigerian Air Force ATR-42 aircraft crashed in a swampy area near the Naval Base in Igbokoda.
The aircraft was reportedly carrying out a routine mission from Benin to Lagos when it lost contact with the control tower before crashing. The Nigerian Air Force subsequently launched a search-and-rescue operation.
According to Aiyedatiwa, the aircraft may have developed a mechanical problem while airborne, resulting in the loss of communication with air traffic controllers.
He said the incident was unlikely to have been caused by weather, noting that poor weather conditions would ordinarily have prevented the aircraft from departing in the first place.
The governor also disclosed that, based on the information available to him at the time, there were no survivors.
“It is so painful. No survivor yet, from the information I have gotten,” Aiyedatiwa said when asked about the crash.
The aircraft, identified by its tail number as NGR 931, crashed on Monday morning after disappearing from radio contact while travelling from Benin to Lagos.
Aviation Minister, Festus Keyamo, also confirmed that air traffic controllers had been unable to establish radio contact with the aircraft before receiving reports that it had crashed close to the Naval Base in Igbokoda.
Keyamo said preliminary information indicated that 25 passengers and seven crew members were on board the aircraft. He added that the wreckage had been located while search-and-rescue efforts continued.
Earlier, the Nigerian Air Force confirmed that the aircraft involved was an ATR-42 and said it had been on a routine mission from Benin to Lagos when the accident occurred.
The NAF said search-and-rescue operations were being conducted in collaboration with relevant authorities and emergency response agencies.
