The Nigerian Air Force aircraft that crashed near the Igbokoda Naval Base in Ondo State on Monday was a 16-year-old ATR-42-500MP Maritime Patrol aircraft that had spent almost three years grounded at a maintenance facility in Germany.
The aircraft with registration number NAF 931,returned to Nigeria in late 2024.
The specialized maritime patrol and surveillance aircraft was delivered to the Federal Government in 2010 under the administration of the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua.
It was learnt that the aircraft was acquired under a $73 million contract signed in March 2007 between the Nigerian government and Alenia Aeronautica, now Leonardo of Italy, during the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
The contract covered the supply of two ATR-42MP aircraft, as well as crew training, logistics support and spare parts.
Nigeria became the first export customer for the aircraft type, which was previously operated only by Italy’s Guardia di Finanza and Italian Coast Guard.
According to documents made available to journalists, the aircraft were delivered brand new in “green” configuration from ATR’s facility in Toulouse, France, before being converted into Maritime Patrol aircraft at Alenia facilities in Brindisi and Turin-Caselle, Italy.
The first aircraft, NAF 930, was delivered in December 2009, while NAF 931 was formally delivered on March 29, 2010, at a ceremony in Turin attended by senior Nigerian Air Force officers, including the then Chief of Operations, Air Vice Marshal D.S. Dillimono.
The ATR-42MP aircraft are equipped with the Selex Galileo ATOS airborne tactical observation and surveillance system, search radar and electro-optical sensors.
Nearly Three Years in German Maintenance Facility
NAF 931 reportedly had a history of prolonged maintenance periods.
In September 2013, the aircraft was reportedly seen at Edinburgh Airport in Scotland for maintenance at the Air Contractors facility.
Its sister aircraft, NAF 930, was subsequently flown to the Rheinland Air Service facility in Monchengladbach, Germany, in September 2019 for Periodic Depot Maintenance (PDM) after recording about 5,000 flight hours or 10 years of operation.
It returned to Nigeria in July 2020 after its maintenance was reportedly delayed by restrictions associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.
NAF 931 was later flown to the same German facility in January 2022 for its own Periodic Depot Maintenance.
Photographs taken on June 4, 2022, showed the aircraft parked outside the facility with its right engine removed.
According to reports, the aircraft remained at the German facility for almost three years before returning to Nigeria in late December 2024.
The Nigerian Air Force did not publicly disclose the reason for the unusually prolonged maintenance period.
Rheinland Air Service is among a limited number of companies certified to repair and overhaul ATR control components, including landing flaps. Nigerian Air Force engineers were also said to have participated in the aircraft’s reactivation process in Germany.
Estimated Maintenance Cost
Although the Nigerian Air Force has not disclosed the total amount spent on the maintenance of NAF 931, aviation industry estimates suggested that the aircraft’s 35-month stay in Germany may have cost between $4.5 million and $7 million.
The estimates were reportedly based on the aircraft’s military configuration, prolonged grounding and additional maintenance-related expenses.
Industry data cited in the report indicated that a standard Periodic Depot Maintenance for a commercial ATR-42 could cost about $700,000, while landing gear overhaul for the ATR-42-500 variant could cost approximately $240,000.
However, NAF 931 is a military Maritime Patrol variant equipped with specialised mission systems, including the ATOS system, Gabbiano radar and EOST-45 sensor.
The specialised configuration was estimated to have increased the core maintenance, labour and certification costs to between $2 million and $3 million.
Additional expenses were reportedly incurred from the prolonged stay in Germany.
These included rotables and exchange fees estimated at about $25,000 per month, which would amount to approximately $875,000 over 35 months.
Hangarage and parking costs were estimated at between $350,000 and $580,000 over the aircraft’s 1,065-day stay.
Other estimated expenses included preservation and de-preservation of engines, propellers and fuel systems, as well as parts replacement and sourcing.
The June 2022 photograph showing the aircraft without its right engine was cited as an indication of additional work involving the Pratt & Whitney PW127E engines and Hamilton Standard propeller components.
Ferrying the aircraft between Nigeria and Germany, including fuel, overflight permits and crew allowances, was also estimated to have cost between $180,000 and $250,000.
By comparison, NAF 930 reportedly spent about 10 months at the same German facility between September 2019 and July 2020, at an estimated cost of between $2 million and $2.5 million.
The difference in maintenance duration raised questions over the additional costs associated with NAF 931’s prolonged grounding.
Aircraft’s Operational History
Since its induction into the Nigerian Air Force, NAF 931 was operated by the 81 Air Maritime Group in Benin, Edo State.
The aircraft was also reportedly deployed alongside the 75 Strike Group in Yola for counter-insurgency operations under Operation Lafiya Dole.
The aircraft is powered by two Pratt & Whitney PW127E engines fitted with Hamilton Standard 568F six-blade propellers.
It has a maximum cruise speed of approximately 280 knots, equivalent to about 518 kilometres per hour, a range of about 1,500 nautical miles and an endurance of more than eight hours.
Its primary responsibilities include maritime surveillance of Nigeria’s Exclusive Economic Zone, anti-piracy operations, combating oil bunkering and smuggling, pollution monitoring and search-and-rescue operations.
The aircraft can also perform overland intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions, as well as limited transport duties.
Crash in Ondo
The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, on Monday confirmed that the aircraft, identified by its tail number as NGR 931, lost contact with air traffic controllers at about 9:13 a.m. while travelling from Benin to Lagos.
The wreckage was later located near the Naval Base in Igbokoda, Ondo State.
Keyamo said 25 passengers and seven crew members were aboard the aircraft.
Military sources subsequently told SaharaReporters that all 32 people on board were killed in the crash.
“Thirty-two people died in the plane crash that occurred in Ondo State,” a source familiar with the incident was quoted as saying.
The wreckage was located in a swampy riverine area opposite the Naval Base in Igbokoda.
The cause of the crash had not been officially established at the time of the report, with investigations expected to determine the circumstances surrounding the aircraft’s final flight.
The crash has also renewed attention on the maintenance history and operational condition of ageing military aircraft in Nigeria, particularly specialised platforms used for maritime surveillance and national security operations.
