Captain (Rtd) Paul Forjoe, a member of the investigative committee probing the tragic military helicopter crash on August 6, has said their findings revealed the Z-9EH helicopter was airworthy.
However, the investigative committee discovered the Aircraft lacked key safety equipment.
Speaking during the presentation of the findings at a public briefing on Tuesday, November 11, Captain (Rtd) Paul Forjoe detailed, “The aircraft was declared serviceable and signed off by the pilot, who was fully competent to operate it”.
The report noted, “The Harbin Z-9EH helicopter, operated by the Ghana Air Force, did not have key safety systems such as the Helicopter Terrain Awareness and Warning System (HTAWS/EGPWS), advanced terrain mapping navigation, and automatic flight control systems”.
Captain (Rtd) Paul Forjoe also revealed that the August 6, 2025, military helicopter crash was caused by a sudden altitude change.
According to the investigative committee, the tragedy was caused by a sudden loss of altitude and lift resulting from a powerful downdraft.
Captain (Rtd) Paul Forjoe explained, “The investigation determined that the accident was caused by the sudden loss of altitude and lift due to downdraft.
“This loss of altitude without a change in power or pitch altitude is consistent with a downdraft associated with changing environmental conditions over high terrain,” Captain Forjoe stated.
Also, Captain (Rtd) Paul Forjoe noted that the Helicopter crash response was timely despite the difficult terrain.
“The fact that these first responders managed to get to the site in about two hours was remarkable because the terrain has very steep slopes,” he said.
“It was raining, it was slippery, so it wasn’t the easiest thing to do… we can confidently say the emergency response was very timely.”
Dr Omane Boamah and Dr Ibrahim Murtala Mohammed, two cabinet members, passed away following a helicopter crash at Adansi Akrofuom District of the Ashanti Region on Wednesday, August 6.
The helicopter was carrying eight individuals, including three crew members and five passengers, among them the ministers, a presidential staffer identified as Samuel Sarpong, and the ministers’ security detail.
Muniru Mohammed, Acting Deputy National Security Coordinator, and Samuel Aboagye, a former Parliamentary Candidate, and Samuel Sarpong, Vice Chairman of NDC, have all been confirmed dead.
The crew members are Squadron Leader Peter Bafemi Anala, Flying Officer Manin Twum-Ampadu, and Sergeant Ernest Addo Mensah.
The victims lost their lives en route to the launch of the Responsible Cooperative Mining and Skills Development Programme (rCOMSDEP) in Obuasi on August 6, 2025.