The recovery operation following the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) aircraft crash in Igbokoda, Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo State, has recorded further progress, with teams retrieving additional aircraft debris and other items from the crash site.

However, the search for the main wreckage and the aircraft’s black boxes remains ongoing, as recovery teams contend with difficult terrain and challenging underwater conditions.

The aircraft, identified as NAF 931, crashed into a swamp near the Nigerian Navy’s Forward Operating Base in Igbokoda on Monday, October 5, 2026, while on a routine mission from Benin City, Edo State, to Lagos.

The incident claimed the lives of all 25 people on board, comprising 20 passengers and five crew members.

Since the crash, recovery teams have been working to locate and retrieve the submerged wreckage, with the operation involving personnel from the Nigerian Air Force, Nigerian Navy and Ondo State Government.

The difficult nature of the terrain, characterised by swampy waters, dense mangroves and poor underwater visibility, has complicated the search, making the recovery operation particularly challenging.

To support the operation, the Ondo State Government has deployed specialised heavy-duty amphibious equipment, while the Nigerian Navy has provided personnel and sonar-scanning equipment to map the underwater terrain and assist in locating the submerged wreckage.

Military divers and NAF drone pilots are also supporting the search for the aircraft and its critical components.

Senior military officials, including the Flag Officer Commanding, Western Naval Command, Rear Admiral Abubakar Abdullahi Mustapha, and the Air Officer Commanding, Logistics Command, Air Vice Marshal Abubakar Abdul Suleh, had earlier visited the crash site to assess the ongoing recovery efforts.

The Ondo State Governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, also visited the site, expressing sadness over the tragedy and assuring the Nigerian Air Force of the state government’s continued support for the operation.

He commended the personnel and other stakeholders involved in the recovery efforts, acknowledging the challenges they face in retrieving the wreckage from the difficult terrain.

Beyond recovering the aircraft, investigators are seeking critical components that could provide clues to the circumstances surrounding the crash.

The NAF Superintendent of Standards and Evaluation, Air Vice Marshal Ebimobo Ebiowe, said the recovery of key aircraft components would be crucial to the investigation.

“We hope to be able to find critical components of the aircraft that will speak to the investigators because the aircraft wreckage actually speaks to the investigators,” Ebiowe said.

Among the most important items investigators hope to recover are the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder, commonly known as the black boxes.

The devices are expected to provide valuable information about the aircraft’s performance and events in the cockpit before the crash, potentially helping investigators reconstruct the final moments of the flight.

The investigation is also expected to examine physical evidence from the wreckage, flight data and other relevant records to establish what happened before the aircraft went down.

Meanwhile, the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke, has assured Nigerians that a comprehensive investigation will be conducted to determine the cause of the crash and help prevent a recurrence.

Aneke has also appealed to members of the public to avoid speculation while the recovery operation and investigation continue.

“This is not the time to start speculating, and I plead with the general public. We’ve lost people who are fighting for the nation. The best we can do for them is to be a little bit patient and let those who are specialists get to the bottom of what has happened,” he said.

With more debris recovered from the crash site, attention remains focused on locating the main wreckage and retrieving the aircraft’s recording devices, which could provide vital evidence for investigators.

For now, the cause of the crash has yet to be officially established.

Authorities say the recovery operation and subsequent investigation remain crucial to determining the circumstances surrounding the tragedy.