The Aircraft Accident and Incident Investigation and Prevention Bureau (AIB Ghana) has determined that a sudden and powerful downdraft was responsible for the helicopter crash that claimed eight lives in Ghana.
The bureau’s final report closes the critical technical chapter of the investigation, focusing on the volatile environmental forces that led to the tragedy over high terrain.
Captain Paul Fordjour, lead investigator of the August 6 helicopter crash and Retired Pilot with the AIB Ghana, confirmed the technical cause at a briefing on Tuesday, November 11, at the Jubilee House.
“The investigation determined that the accident was caused by the sudden loss of altitude and lift due to downdraft,” stated Captain Paul Fordjour.
A downdraft — a strong current of air moving vertically downward — can rapidly overpower a helicopter’s rotors and drastically reduce the lift they generate. The report clarified that this sudden aerodynamic failure occurred without any pilot error or mechanical fault.
“This loss of altitude without change in power or pitch attitude is consistent with downdraft associated with changing environmental conditions over high terrain,” Captain Paul Fordjour explained.
The findings indicate that, despite the pilot maintaining proper power and control inputs, the strong downward air current effectively pushed the helicopter out of the sky, leading to the fatal impact.
AIB Ghana’s conclusion shifts the focus away from mechanical or human error and toward the overwhelming effects of adverse weather conditions.
The crash occurred on August 6, 2025, when a Ghana Air Force Harbin Z-9 helicopter carrying eight people to an event on combating illegal mining went down in a forested mountainside in the Ashanti Region, killing all on board.
Among the victims were Defence Minister Edward Omane Boamah, Environment Minister Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed, Acting Deputy National Security Coordinator Limuna Mohammed Muniru, NDC Vice Chairman Samuel Sarpong, former parliamentary candidate Samuel Aboagye, Squadron Leader Peter Bafemi Anala, Flying Officer Twum Ampadu, and Sergeant Ernest Addo Mensah.
According to the Ghana Armed Forces, the helicopter departed Kotoka International Airport in Accra at 9:12 a.m., heading northwest toward the gold-mining area at Obuasi Black Park, when it went off radar.
The wreckage was later discovered with all victims burnt beyond recognition in a post-crash fire.
The AIB Ghana’s technical findings underscore the dangers of flying over mountainous or rapidly changing weather zones, where sudden atmospheric shifts can have catastrophic consequences