By Adegboyega Adeleye
Ondo State Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa said a possible technical or mechanical fault and the subsequent loss of signal may have caused the Nigerian Air Force aircraft crash in Igbokoda, ruling out bad weather as a likely factor.
Aiyedatiwa spoke on Monday during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today, hours after the Nigerian Air Force ATR-42 aircraft crashed in the Igbokoda area of Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo State.
The aircraft was on a routine mission from Benin to Lagos when it crashed in a swampy area opposite the Naval Base in Igbokoda. The Nigerian Air Force subsequently activated a search-and-rescue operation.
Aiyedatiwa said the aircraft could have developed a fault while in the air, leading to the loss of communication with the control tower.
He said, “It is not a case of wanting to land like I said. So, some kind of technical problem might have happened to the aircraft that would make it lose signal. Anything could have happened in terms of a mechanical issue; it is not a case of weather because if it is weather, they would not even take off in the first place, or maybe some weather along the line after they might have taken off.
“From what we heard, from Benin to Lagos is not a long distance so if the weather was bad, it would no have taken off in the first place, they will wait until the weather is okay so probably, some aircraft must have developed fault in the air and for them to lose signal from the control tower and then, something might have gone wrong.”
The governor, however, said there were no survivors yet, based on the information available to him.
“So painful,” Aiyedatiwa said when asked about the incident. “No survivor yet, from the information I have gotten.”
The crash occurred on Monday morning after the aircraft, with tail number NGR 931, disappeared from radio contact while en route from Benin to Lagos.
Aviation Minister Festus Keyamo said air traffic controllers had been unable to contact the aircraft by radio before information later confirmed it had crashed near the Naval Base in Igbokoda.
He said preliminary information indicated that 25 passengers and seven crew members were on board, while the wreckage had been located and search-and-rescue operations were ongoing.
Earlier, the NAF confirmed that the aircraft was an ATR-42 and said it was on a routine mission from Benin to Lagos when the accident occurred.
The force said it was conducting search-and-rescue operations in coordination with relevant authorities and emergency response agencies.
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