Nigeria Plane Crash: No Survivors After Nigerian Air Force Aircraft Crashes in Ondo State With 25 on Board
There were no survivors after a Nigerian Air Force ATR-42 carrying 20 passengers and five crew members crashed Monday in Ondo state while en route to Lagos, officials confirmed Tuesday. The aircraft lost radar contact and went down near a naval base in Igbokoda. Officials have yet to clarify a previous statement by the Aviation Minister citing 32 people on board.
There were no survivors among 25 people on board a Nigerian Air Force plane that crashed Monday in southern Nigeria’s Ondo state, officials said. The ATR-42 aircraft crashed while carrying 20 passengers and five crew members on a routine mission to Lagos, the nation’s economic hub, the air force said in a statement Tuesday.
The plane disappeared from radar and was later found to have crashed close to a naval base in the riverside town of Igbokoda in Ondo state, officials said, according to AP. The sudden loss of the twin-engine turboprop triggered an immediate mobilisation of naval personnel, emergency response units, and local boat operators across the coastal wetlands to locate the wreckage. Flydubai Flight Incident: What We Know About the Co-Pilot Who Allegedly Attempted To Crash the Plane.
Discrepancy in Onboard Headcount
Nigeria’s Aviation Minister Festus Keyamo previously said the aircraft was carrying 32 people. Officials did not immediately clarify the difference in the two accounts.
Early reports from aviation authorities had stated that 25 passengers and seven crew members were on the flight manifest when air traffic controllers lost radio and radar contact shortly after 9:00 a.m. local time. The air force's subsequent operational update revised the confirmed total aboard downward to 25.
Search Operations Near Igbokoda Naval Base
Emergency search teams traced the impact zone to a swampy riverbank in the Ilaje Local Government Area, where sections of the aircraft were submerged in water and dense brush. Eyewitnesses near the riverside reported hearing a loud blast before seeing smoke rise from the tree line.
Naval divers and military responders deployed small boats to navigate the marshland, where responders recovered personal effects and fuselage debris. The site has been cordoned off to facilitate the collection of wreckage and flight data instruments.
Probe Ordered as Fleet Safety Comes Under Focus
The Nigerian presidency expressed condolences to the families of the victims, and military authorities have launched a formal board of inquiry into the disaster. Investigators are focusing on maintenance histories, communications logs with regional air traffic control, and prevailing weather conditions along the flight corridor.
The crash represents another severe loss for Nigeria's military air transport fleet, prompting heightened scrutiny over the operational demands and maintenance regimens of surveillance and utility transport aircraft across the armed forces.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 06, 2026 03:47 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
