Helicopter Crash: Investigative Board Commences Probe Into Tragic Incident With US Air Force Support
- The Ministry of Defence has announced the official commencement of investigations into the recent Ghana Air Force Z-9 helicopter crash
- The crash in the Adansi Akrofuom District of the Ashanti region on August 6, claimed the lives of eight people
- The Air Force and the Aircraft Accident and Incident Investigation and Prevention Bureau of the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority will be part of the probe
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The investigative board tasked with probing the August 6 Ghana Air Force Z-9 helicopter crash has commenced work.
The board is chaired by the National Security Coordinator, DCOP Abdul-Osman Razak.
Source: Getty Images
A government statement noted that the Ghana Air Force and the Aircraft Accident and Incident Investigation and Prevention Bureau of the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority have representatives on the board.
The US is also providing advice and assistance to the board through visiting investigators from its Air Force.
The statement noted that the board may invite relevant experts and institutions, both local and international, to assist with the investigation.
What happened in Ghana army helicopter crash?
The August 6 helicopter crash killed eight people, including two ministers.
The helicopter the officials were travelling in crashed into a dense forest as it was flying from Accra to Obuasi for the launch of the Responsible Cooperative Mining and Skills Development Programme.
Defence Minister Dr Edward Omane Boamah and Environment Minister Ibrahim Murtala Mohammed were killed when the helicopter they were travelling in went down in the Adansi Akrofuom district.
The other civilians who died in the crash were former Obuasi East parliamentary candidate Samuel Aboagye, Deputy National Security Coordinator Limuna Muniru and National Democratic Congress (NDC) Vice Chairman Dr Samuel Sarpong, while the army personnel who died in the crash were Sergeant Ernest Addo Mensah, Squadron Leader Peter Bafemi Anala and Flying Officer Manin Twum-Ampadu.
Inside the Chinese-made helicopter in the crash
The Z-9EH, Ghana's variant of the helicopter, is designed for transport, passenger use and emergency purposes, according to the Odin database on military equipment.
But the Z-9 line of helicopters has been involved in notable accidents across three continents, according to incidents compiled by the Aviation Safety Network.
Aside from Ghana, the Z-9 has been exported by China for use in Bolivia, Cambodia, Cameroon, Kenya, Laos, Mali, Mauritania, Namibia, Pakistan, and Zambia.
Source: Getty Images
Multiple Z-9 crashes in Zambia
Per YEN.com.gh checks, in 2013, a Z-9 helicopter flying past in commemoration of the Zambia International Youth Day was involved in an accident while landing.
The captain of the aircraft, Major Misapa Mukupa, sustained injuries and, eventually, died.
Also in 2013, a helicopter carrying journalists accompanying the Zambian Vice President at the time was forced into an emergency landing in Kabwe. No one was hurt.
In 2012, a Zambia Air Force Harbin Z-9 helicopter suffered a power failure. It failed to ascend before spiralling out of control towards a tree and then coming to rest near a tent erected to provide shelter. One person on the ground was hurt in the incident.
Source: YEN.com.gh
