BY OLAPEJU OLUBI
The Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) has commenced a thorough on-site probe of the crash-landing of a Diamond training aircraft belonging to the Aviation Training School.
The incident occurred at 17:28 local time on May 23, 2025, during a simulated instrument approach on Runway 05 at the General Tunde Idiagbon International Airport in Ilorin, Kwara State.
This was disclosed in a statement on Saturday by Mrs Bimbo Olawumi Oladeji, the Director, Public Affairs and Family Assistance, NSIB.
According to her, the NSIB Director General, Captain Alex Badeh Jr., personally visited the accident site on May 24, 2025, to inspect the wreckage and supervise the early stages of the investigation.
He confirmed that the aircraft’s data card, a critical component for retrieving flight information, has been successfully recovered and that forensic analysis is already underway.
“Our investigators are on ground and have begun work in earnest. The damaged aircraft is positioned on the left side of the runway, and recovery operations are nearly complete. Four of our specialists will remain at the site to complete critical measurements before returning to Abuja,” said Captain Badeh Jr in the statement.
She added that the retrieved data card is currently being analysed at the NSIB’s state-of-the-art transport safety laboratory in Abuja.
The analysis is expected to play a major role in shaping the Bureau’s preliminary findings and informing its safety recommendations.
In line with international best practices, a preliminary report will be issued within 30 days.
Reaffirming the Bureau’s commitment to a rigorous and transparent investigative process, Captain Badeh Jr. stated:
“Our job is to determine what happened, to whom it happened, how it happened, and most importantly, how to prevent it from happening again.”
Providing an update on the condition of the aircraft’s occupants, he assured the public that both individuals onboard survived the crash and are receiving appropriate medical care.
“They are conscious, coherent, and in stable condition,” he said, adding that one of them has undergone an MRI scan as a precautionary measure.
Captain Badeh Jr. also reassured Nigerians that the nation’s airspace remains safe and that NSIB will continue to provide timely updates as the investigation advances.
