By Ashiadey Dotse
The committee investigating the August 6, 2025, military helicopter crash has revealed that the tragic incident was caused by a sudden loss of altitude and lift as a result of a powerful downdraft.
Presenting the findings in Accra on Tuesday, November 11, 2025, Captain (Rtd.) Paul Fordjour, a member of the investigative committee, explained that the aircraft encountered abrupt environmental changes while flying over high terrain, which led to the fatal descent.
“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 Fordjour said.
The committee, chaired by Acting Minister for Defence, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, was tasked with uncovering the cause of the crash and recommending measures to prevent similar accidents in the future. The final report pointed to technical, operational, and environmental factors that contributed to the tragedy.
The crash involved a Harbin Z-9EH military helicopter with tail number GHF 631, operated by the Ghana Air Force. The aircraft departed Accra at about 9:12 a.m. for Obuasi on an anti-illegal mining operation but lost radar contact before crashing in the Adansi Akrofuom District of the Ashanti Region.
All eight people on board, including senior government officials and military officers, lost their lives. Among them were Dr. Edward Omane Boamah, Minister for Defence, and Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed, Minister for Environment, Science, and Technology.
The committee’s findings form part of broader investigations into improving aviation safety and operational procedures within the Ghana Armed Forces.
