Government Announces Official Cause of August 6 Helicopter Crash: “Sudden Weather-Related”
· YEN.com.gh News · Join- The government has shared the long-awaited findings of the investigation into the August 6 helicopter crash
- The investigative committee that probed the crash shared its findings during a press conference on November 11, 2025
- The crash in the Adansi Akrofuom District of the Ashanti Region on August 6, 2025, claimed the lives of eight people
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The government has confirmed that the August 6 helicopter crash was caused by sudden weather conditions.
The investigation determined that the accident was caused by the sudden loss of altitude and lift due to a downdraft.
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During a presentation delivered by Captain Paul Forjoe (Retired), it was explained that the loss of altitude without a change in power or pitch attitude was consistent with a downdraft associated with changing environmental conditions over high terrain.
The crash earlier this year involved a Harbin Z-9EH military helicopter operated by the Ghana Air Force.
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The committee to probe the crash was chaired by National Security Coordinator, DCOP Abdul-Osman Razak.
It was tasked with determining the cause of the crash and recommending preventive measures.
Its final report highlighted technical, operational, and environmental factors that contributed to the accident.
The Ghana Air Force and the Aircraft Accident and Incident Investigation and Prevention Bureau of the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority had representatives on the board.
The US also provided advice and assistance to the board through visiting investigators from its Air Force.
Who died in the Obuasi helicopter crash?
The August 6 helicopter crash in the Adansi Akrofuom District killed eight people, including two ministers.
The helicopter the officials were travelling in crashed into a dense forest as it was flying from Accra to Obuasi for the launch of the Responsible Cooperative Mining and Skills Development Programme.
Defence Minister Dr Edward Omane Boamah and Environment Minister Ibrahim Murtala Mohammed were among those killed when the helicopter went down in the Adansi Akrofuom district.
The other civilians who died in the crash were former Obuasi East parliamentary candidate Samuel Aboagye, Deputy National Security Coordinator Limuna Muniru and National Democratic Congress (NDC) Vice Chairman Dr Samuel Sarpong.
Army personnel who died in the crash were Sergeant Ernest Addo Mensah, Squadron Leader Peter Bafemi Anala, and Flying Officer Manin Twum-Ampadu.
Source: Getty Images
President John Mahama delivered posthumous promotions for the three armed forces personnel killed in the crash.
Mensah was promoted to Flight Sergeant, Anala was promoted to Wing Commander, and Twum-Ampadu was promoted to Flight Lieutenant.
Inside the Chinese-made helicopter in the crash
YEN.com.gh also previously reported that the Z-9EH, which crashed near Obuasi, is designed for transport, passenger use and emergencies, according to the Odin database on military equipment.
However, the same kind of chopper from the August 6, 2025, tragedy has been involved in notable accidents across three continents, according to records from the Aviation Safety Network.
Aside from Ghana, the Z-9 has been exported by China for use in foreign countries, including Bolivia, Cambodia, Cameroon, Kenya, Laos, Mali, Mauritania, Namibia, Pakistan, and Zambia.
Proofreading by Bruce Douglas, copy editor at YEN.com.gh.
Source: YEN.com.gh