The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has recovered the Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) from the wreckage of its ATR-42 aircraft that crashed in Igbokoda, Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo State.
The recorder was recovered on Friday, exactly one month after the October 5 crash that claimed the lives of all 25 people aboard the aircraft.
Technical teams from the NAF and the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) confirmed that the CVR remained intact.
NAF also disclosed that part of the Flight Data Recorder (FDR) had been retrieved, although efforts are continuing to locate and recover the remaining portion.
Additional wreckage, engine components and human remains have also been recovered from the difficult swamp terrain.
The recovery of the CVR is significant because the device contains recorded audio from the aircraft’s cockpit, including crew conversations, radio communications and other sounds that could assist investigators in reconstructing events immediately before the crash.
Investigators are expected to subject the recovered recorder and other components to technical examination as part of the ongoing effort to establish the circumstances and causes of the accident.
NAF said the investigation would be conducted with due diligence to produce comprehensive, evidence-based findings.
The Director of Public Relations and Information, Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame, said recovery operations remained ongoing because of the challenging nature of the swamp where the aircraft came down.
According to him, the ultimate objective of the investigation is not only to establish what caused the accident but also to draw lessons that could strengthen flight safety and safeguard the lives of military personnel and civilians.
The ATR-42, identified as NAF 931, was on a routine mission from Benin City, Edo State, to Lagos when it crashed into the swamp near Igbokoda on October 5.
Air traffic controllers lost contact with the aircraft at about 9:13 a.m.
All 25 occupants — five crew members and 20 passengers — died in the accident.
Recovery teams have faced significant difficulties because much of the aircraft became submerged in the swamp.
Government and security agencies, including the Nigerian Navy and Marine Police, have participated in efforts to recover the wreckage and victims.
NAF said the recovery process is also being handled with attention to the proper identification of recovered human remains.
Its Directorate of Identification and Classification is undertaking the necessary procedures, while the Air Force continues to engage families of the victims.
The military has also maintained engagement with relevant authorities over environmental concerns raised by residents of the host community following the crash and recovery operations.
NAF had earlier constituted a 12-member board to investigate the circumstances and causes of the crash, with representatives of the NSIB and Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority among those involved.
