The investigative committee that examined the military helicopter crash on August 6, 2025, has verified that the incident was due to a sudden loss of altitude and lift caused by a strong downdraft.
During a public briefing held on Tuesday, November 11, Captain (Rtd) Paul Forjoe, a committee member, elaborated that the aircraft encountered abrupt shifts in environmental conditions while navigating over elevated terrain, which resulted in the tragic descent.
“The investigation concluded that the accident was a result of the sudden loss of altitude and lift attributed to downdraft.
“This loss of altitude, occurring without any alteration in power or pitch altitude, aligns with a downdraft linked to fluctuating environmental conditions over high terrain,” Captain Forjoe remarked.
The committee, led by the Acting Minister for Defence, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, was assigned the responsibility of identifying the cause of the crash and suggesting preventive measures. Its comprehensive report underscored the technical, operational, and environmental elements that played a role in the accident.
The crash involved a Harbin Z-9EH military helicopter (tail number GHF 631) operated by the Ghana Air Force. The aircraft took off from Accra at approximately 9:12 a.m. en route to Obuasi for an anti-illegal mining mission but lost radar contact prior to crashing in the Adansi Akrofuom District of the Ashanti Region.
Tragically, all eight individuals on board, including high-ranking government officials and military personnel such as Dr. Edward Omane Boamah, Minister for Defence, and Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed, Minister for Environment, Science and Technology, lost their lives.
