WHY DO MILITARY AIRCRAFT CRASH SO OFTEN?

Military aircraft should be properly maintained, writes ETIM ETIM

The frequency of air crashes involving Nigeria’s military aircraft and helicopters in the last few decades should compel our military authorities to look critically into the causes of these accidents and put an end to them or reduce drastically. It is so embarrassing for the military and the nation as a whole to lose so many well-trained officers and resources to these crashes. What could be the problem? Is it poor maintenance, age of the aircraft or human factor? While the NCAA and other regulatory agencies in civilian aviation have worked hard to achieve zero accident involving commercial jetliner in the country in the last 14 years, the military continues to suffer catastrophic accidents almost on a yearly basis. It’s so bad that a Chief of Army Staff was killed in one of those crashes in 2021. We cannot continue to lose senior military personnel to these senseless air accidents.

This has to stop.

The latest in the series of these military crashes occurred on Monday, October 5, 2026, and it involved a Nigerian military surveillance and maritime operations aircraft (tail number NGR 931) carrying 25 passengers and crew en route from Benin to Lagos. It crashed in Igbokoda, Ilaje, Ondo State, triggering a search and rescue operation by the Nigerian Air force. There are no survivors. My thoughts and prayers are with victims’ families.

But one question continues to bother me. Why has Nigeria experienced so many tragic military plane and helicopter crashes in the last few decades resulting in loss of key military leadership, service personnel, and aircraft? And why has no solution been found for this problem?

On May 21, 2021, a Nigerian Air Force Beechcraft King Air 350i crashed near the Kaduna International Airport during bad weather. The crash claimed the lives of the late Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Ibrahim Attahiru, along with 10 other military officers and crew members. That same month, a Nigerian Air Force Beechcraft King Air 350i surveillance aircraft crashed near Abuja airport due to reported engine failure, killing all seven military personnel on board.

On September 17, 2006 a Nigerian Air Force Dornier 228-212 military transport aircraft carrying 18 people—including senior military officers traveling for a retreat in Obudu—crashed in Vandeikya, Benue State. The tragedy resulted in 15 fatalities, including high-ranking generals, with only three survivors.

On September 12, 1997, a Nigerian Air Force Dornier 228-212 crashed with 10 people on board. Between 2015 and 2023, data shows that the Nigerian Air Force suffered approximately 14 separate military air incidents and crashes, destroying around 15 aircraft and causing over 35 fatalities. Aviation safety experts have frequently attributed these frequent incidents to aging fleets, inadequate maintenance infrastructure, and challenges with spare parts supply chains.

Of all these military air accidents, the 1992 Nigerian Air Force C-130H Hercules crash on September 26, 1992, was the deadliest in history, resulting in 159 to 165 fatalities with no survivors. The plane took off Murtala Muhammed International Airport, and was heading to Kaduna. But three minutes after take-off, it crashed into Ejigbo/Oke-Afa canal, burying those on board in the swamp. The victims were predominantly middle-ranking military officers and students from Armed Forces Command and Staff College, Jaji, who were returning from Lagos after a study tour. Students from other African countries like Ghana, Tanzania, Uganda and Zimbabwe were on board. Reports said the cause of the crash was excessive take-off weight, combined with multiple engine failures. Coming just two years after Col. Gideon Orkar’s coup and a year to the end of IBB’s eight-year tumultuous régime, the accident triggered all sorts of rumours across the country.

The civilian aviation has been relatively safe. The last civilian commercial air accident recorded in Nigeria was Dana Air Flight 0992 which crashed near Lagos , killing all 153 people on board, and about 10 people on ground. The flight originated from Abuja and was headed to Lagos. According to the final investigation report by the Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB), the aircraft suffered a progressive loss of power in both engines during its final approach to the Lagos airport. Investigators also attributed the cause of the accident to improper maintenance of the aircraft and the lack of situational awareness by the flight crew. The crew ‘’omitted critical checklists, failed to recognize the severity of power loss and delayed declaring emergency’’, according to the AIB report. Every air accident is a moment to learn lessons and improve on safety standards. The Dana crash prompted stricter enforcement of safety regulations and major reviews of commercial airline procedures. Authorities have since revoked Dana’s license and barred it from flying in Nigeria after series of other poor maintenance reports.

Other African countries with large militaries seem to have relatively better safety records. The last time South Africa military recorded an air crash was on December 2012. All the 11 people on board were killed. Egyptian military recorded an air crash in May 2025 when an air force training aircraft crashed, killing all crew members on board. The year before – in November 2024 – Egyptian military helicopter suffered a technical failure, resulting in the deaths of two air force officers. Kenyan military also recorded a crash last year, but it involved a trainer aircraft, killing the two pilots on board.

It is important to note that Nigeria’s military aircraft are not under the supervision of NCAA and other civilian regulatory agencies. It is therefore difficult to understand how well our military aircraft are maintained. But I urge our military authorities to spare no efforts in making their aircraft more airworthy. We cannot continue to lose our fine officers in such tragic circumstances.

Etim is a Journalist