NAF plane crash: Pilot hailed as hero for steering aircraft away from Igbokoda

Residents of Igbokoda in Ondo State have hailed the pilot of a crashed Nigerian Air Force aircraft as a hero, saying he appeared to have steered the plane away from the community before it plunged into a swamp, averting what could have been a greater disaster.

The aircraft, with registration number NGR 931, was reportedly carrying 32 people, comprising 25 passengers and seven crew members, on a routine flight from Benin to Lagos when it crashed on Monday, October 5, 2026.

According to residents, the aircraft was already experiencing difficulties before it went down in a deep swamp about 200 metres from the town.

A resident, Jomiloju, said the pilot struggled to control the aircraft and prevented it from crashing into the community.

“Honestly, the pilot should be commended. Many lives would have been lost. It would have been a national tragedy if he had allowed the aircraft to go down in the middle of the community. He struggled with it and brought it down inside a deep swamp, 200 metres away from the town,” the resident said.

Another resident said the aircraft eventually crashed into the swamp after the pilot manoeuvred it away from the town.

In the community, the pilot is being remembered as a hero who may have prevented a larger catastrophe, although residents are mourning the 32 people who died in the crash.

Ondo State Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa, who visited the crash site, said eyewitnesses told him the aircraft came down with a loud sound suggesting engine failure and appeared to be heading towards the town before the pilot manoeuvred it away.

The governor described the scene as horrific, with body parts, military jackets, clothes and aircraft fragments floating on water contaminated by aviation fuel.

He said the main fuselage had sunk deep into the swamp, making recovery operations difficult.

Seven days after the crash, the main wreckage had yet to be recovered despite efforts by divers from the Nigerian Navy and members of the local community.

The state government deployed two amphibious excavators, known as swamp buggies, to assist the recovery operation.

Ondo State Commissioner for Environment, Dr Tob Loko, said divers had been struggling to locate and retrieve the main fuselage because of the difficult terrain and inadequate equipment.

The Commissioner for Works, Ayorinde Olawoye, expressed optimism that the deployment of the specialised equipment would help speed up the operation.

However, the Commissioner for Health, Dr Banji Ajaka, said the wreckage was deeply submerged and could not be retrieved easily with ordinary vehicles or speedboats.

Ondo State Commissioner of Police, Felix Ohagwu, who accessed the crash site in a canoe, said there were no survivors.

He described the area as difficult to access because of the creeks and mangroves.

Meanwhile, the Nigerian Air Force confirmed that the flight data recorder, commonly known as the black box, and the cockpit voice recorder had yet to be recovered.

Air Vice Marshal Ebimobo Ebiowe, NAF Superintendent of Standards and Evaluation, said the wreckage was crucial to helping investigators establish what happened before the crash.

The Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke, who visited Igbokoda and inspected the site, ordered a high-level investigation involving military and civilian aviation safety experts, the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau and retired senior officers.

Aneke described the deceased crew members as highly trained professionals and urged Nigerians to avoid speculation about the cause of the crash.

The Nigerian Navy had also deployed side-scan sonar equipment to map the swamp and locate the submerged fuselage, while concerns mounted over aviation fuel reportedly leaking into the water.

As recovery efforts continued, residents mourned the victims while maintaining that the pilot’s apparent attempt to steer the aircraft away from the community may have prevented further loss of life.