‘Mayday, mayday, my engines have failed’: Reasons planes crash

By Dickson Omobola

“Mayday, mayday”! Those are the words associated with pilots experiencing distress with their planes during flight and the words are usually uttered to air traffic controllers for help.
The crash of a Nigerian Air Force, NAF, ATR-42 aircraft, a twin-engine turboprop configured for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, ISR, operations, has raised fresh questions over the cause of the accident and the overall safety of military aviation in Nigeria.
This is given the fact that the crash added to the growing list of military aviation accidents that have claimed the lives of personnel in recent years.
Before the latest crash, no fewer than 34 military personnel had been killed in aircraft crashes, with May 21, 2021, and August 14, 2023 recording the highest fatalities, with 11 deaths each.
On August 14, 2023, a NAF Mi-171 helicopter conducting operations against bandits in Niger State crashed near Chukuba village, killing all 11 people on board.
In April 2022, two pilots were killed when a Super Mushshak trainer aircraft crashed at the NAF base in Kaduna.
On May 21, 2021, 11 people died when a NAF Beechcraft King Air 350i crashed while attempting to land at Kaduna Airport amid poor weather conditions.
Among those killed was the then Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Ibrahim Attahiru, alongside other senior military officers and aides.
In March 2021, an Alpha Jet conducting interdiction operations against insurgents in Borno State lost radar contact and crashed, killing both pilots on board.
On February 21, 2021, a NAF Beechcraft King Air B350i suffered a catastrophic engine failure while en route to Minna and crashed shortly before the runway at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, killing all seven people on board.
In September 2018, two NAF F-7Ni fighter jets collided mid-air over Abuja while conducting aerial manoeuvres during rehearsals for Nigeria’s Independence Day celebrations.
One of the pilots died after ejecting from his aircraft.
The latest crash, which occurred last Monday, involved an Air Force ATR-42 maritime patrol/transport aircraft, designated NAF 931, which was flying from Benin-City to Lagos when it lost contact with air traffic control and crashed into a heavily forested, swampy area near Igbokoda, Ondo State, killing all 25 people on board.

Questions
The accident has prompted questions about the aircraft’s airworthiness and maintenance history, as well as the training and experience of the crew.
Was the aircraft properly maintained? Were there lapses in its maintenance? Were established maintenance procedures followed? The experience of the pilots, particularly their familiarity with the aircraft type, will also be examined, alongside other operational factors.
However, NAF investigators are yet to establish the cause of the crash, and the questions surrounding the aircraft, crew and operation remain subject to the ongoing investigation.

ATR-42 history
Findings by Sunday Vanguard showed that the ATR-42 family has been involved in a number of accidents over its multi-decade operating history, although the circumstances and causes are different.
On November 6, 2022, a Precision Air ATR 42-500 crashed into Lake Victoria while approaching Bukoba Airport in Tanzania in heavy rain, thunderstorms, crosswind and turbulence. The final investigation found that the aircraft descended below safe limits during the approach and that the crew did not successfully respond to the aircraft’s enhanced ground proximity warning system alerts before impact.
On December 7, 2016, a Pakistan International Airlines ATR 42-500 crashed near Havelian while operating from Chitral to Islamabad, killing all 47 people on board.
The investigation identified a series of technical problems involving the left engine and propeller control system, which resulted in loss of power and made the aircraft increasingly difficult to control.
On August 16, 2015, an ATR 42-300 operated by Trigana Air Service crashed in mountainous terrain in Indonesia, killing all 54 people on board. The accident was classified as controlled flight into terrain.
On February 21, 2008, an ATR 42-300 operated by Santa Bárbara Airlines crashed into mountainous terrain shortly after taking off from Mérida, Venezuela, killing all 46 people on board.
The cases point to the fact that ATR-42 accidents have involved different factors such as weather, flight crew decisions, terrain and technical failures.
They do not, by themselves, establish a common defect in the aircraft type or indicate the cause of the NAF 931 crash.

Military variant
NAF 931 is a military-configured ATR 42-500MP, a variant designed for maritime patrol and surveillance missions.
Therefore, the circumstances surrounding the accident are expected to be assessed against the aircraft’s specific configuration, maintenance records, operational history, mission profile, crew qualifications, weather conditions and flight data.
The investigation is ongoing, with efforts focused on recovering the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder from the crash site.

Concerns
Speaking with Sunday Vanguard on recurring military aircraft crashes, General Secretary of the Aviation Safety Round Table Initiative, ART, Mr Olumide Ohunayo, said the frequency of the accidents should prompt a review of military aviation safety rather than another investigation that ends with recommendations that are not fully implemented.
He said: “The numbers and recurrence over the last decade are scary. So, I’m not excited about another probe that may eventually produce another report, recommendations and maybe some more training only to repeat the cycle again.
“What worries me is the routine: Accident, investigation, recommendations, little public learning and then waiting for the next accident. “At least one a year is horrible enough but a minimum of one a year is too many.
“This time NAF needs the bloody civilians, the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA, and Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau, NSIB, on the safety appraisal, a really unfettered appraisal.
“We need to look at system, operations, training, maintenance, command structures, safety management and regulatory surveillance of NAF and military aviation generally, not just what happened to the latest aircraft.”
Ohunayo also cautioned against immediately treating additional training as the solution before the underlying gaps are identified.
“Watching the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, and Chief of Air Staff on Wednesday, I could see one side offering training and the other understandably eager to accept it.
“Training may be required but we need to first identify gaps before jumping at the most attractive solution.
“Nigeria needs a proper Military Aviation Safety Gap Assessment, measurable corrective actions and independent monitoring of implementation.
“And further down the line, beyond this immediate crisis, “I still believe strongly in having a concise but properly empowered General Aviation Department within the NCAA to deliberately develop the civil aviation ecosystem and create a pipeline of pilots, engineers and technicians needed by both civil and military aviation.
“We cannot go on accident, probe, training, forgetfulness, accident.
“Industry needs assessment, reform, implementation, surveillance, continuous learning.
“That is the real safety intervention.”

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