Acting Defence Minister Hands Over Probe Report on Fatal August Helicopter Crash to President Mahama
Acting Defence Minister Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson presented the findings of a high-level investigative committee into the tragic August 6 military helicopter crash to President John Dramani Mahama during a National Security Council meeting on Monday, marking a key step toward public accountability for the disaster that claimed eight lives, including two cabinet ministers.
The report, compiled by a Board of Inquiry led by the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) as announced by Mahama shortly after the incident, details the circumstances surrounding the crash of a Harbin Z-9 helicopter en route from Kotoka International Airport to an anti-illegal mining event in Obuasi, Ashanti Region.
The aircraft, carrying five passengers and three crew members, vanished from radar at 9:12 a.m. and slammed into a forested mountainside near Adansi Akrofuom, erupting in a post-impact fire that left victims burnt beyond recognition.
Among the deceased were Defence Minister Dr. Edward Kofi Omane Boamah, a medical doctor and New Juaben South MP; Environment, Science and Technology Minister Alhaji Dr. Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed, Tamale Central MP; Acting Deputy National Security Coordinator Alhaji Muniru Mohammed Limuna; National Democratic Congress (NDC) Vice Chairman Samuel Sarpong; and National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) Deputy Director-General Samuel Aboagye.
The military crew included Squadron Leader Peter Bafemi Anala (pilot), Flying Officer Malin Twum-Ampadu, and Sergeant Ernest Addo Mensah.
In a somber nationwide address on August 8, Mahama pledged a “full and transparent investigation,” noting the recovery of the flight data and cockpit voice recorders to aid the probe.
The victims received a state funeral on August 15 at Accra’s Black Star Square, attended by Mahama, Vice President Prof. Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, former Presidents John Agyekum Kufuor and Nana Akufo-Addo, and Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia.
Books of condolence were opened nationwide from August 10 to 14, with flags flown at half-mast for three days of national mourning.
The Ghana Association of Medical Laboratory Scientists (GAMLS) and other bodies, including the NDC, expressed profound grief, hailing the fallen as “united in their commitment to a stronger, safer Ghana.”
Eyewitnesses described a harrowing scene of flames engulfing the wreckage in dense forest, with recovery efforts complicated by the terrain and need for DNA analysis in South Africa for identification.
The full report’s release, slated for Tuesday, November 11, is anticipated to address potential factors like weather, mechanical failure, or operational lapses—echoing concerns from Ghana’s prior military aviation incidents, including a non-fatal 2024 crash in Bonsukrom.
As the nation reflects on this “irreplaceable loss,” the disclosure could prompt reforms in military aviation safety amid rising regional security challenges, including jihadist threats from neighboring Burkina Faso.
Families and the GAF await closure, with Mahama’s administration vowing lessons to honor the “eight fallen heroes.”
