The investigative committee examining the August 6, 2025, military helicopter crash that claimed eight lives has confirmed that the tragedy was caused by a sudden loss of altitude and lift resulting from a powerful downdraft.
Presenting the committee’s findings at a public briefing on Tuesday, November 11, Captain (Rtd) Paul Forjoe explained that the Ghana Air Force helicopter encountered abrupt changes in environmental conditions while flying over high terrain, leading to a fatal descent.
“The investigation determined that the accident was caused by the sudden loss of altitude and lift due to a downdraft. This loss of altitude without a change in power or pitch attitude is consistent with a downdraft associated with changing environmental conditions over high terrain,” Captain Forjoe stated.
The committee, chaired by Acting Minister for Defence Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, was mandated to determine the cause of the crash and recommend measures to prevent similar incidents in the future. Its final report outlined several contributing factors, including technical, operational, and environmental challenges that affected the aircraft during its mission.
The crash involved a Harbin Z-9EH military helicopter (tail number GHF 631) operated by the Ghana Air Force. The aircraft departed Accra at about 9:12 a.m. for Obuasi in the Ashanti Region on an anti-illegal mining operation but lost radar contact before crashing in the Adansi Akrofuom District.
All eight passengers and crew members on board perished, including senior government officials and military personnel such as Defence Minister Dr. Edward Omane Boamah and Environment, Science and Technology Minister Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed.
