Former Ghana Air Power officer Wing Commander Patrick Nelson Sogbodjor (Rtd) has supplied detailed insights into the circumstances that will have led to the current army helicopter crash close to Obuasi, a tragedy that has plunged the nation into mourning.
On Wednesday, August 6, 2026, a Ghana Armed Forces Z-9 army helicopter went down within the Adansi Akrofuom District of the Ashanti Area, killing all eight folks on board.
The fatalities embody Minister for Defence Dr Edward Omane Boamah and Minister for Surroundings, Science, Know-how and Innovation Ibrahim Murtala Mohammed.
Others who misplaced their lives have been Muniru Mohammed, Appearing Deputy Nationwide Safety Coordinator; Samuel Aboagye, a former Member of Parliament; and Samuel Sarpong, Vice Chairman of the Nationwide Democratic Congress (NDC).
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The three army crew members, Squadron Chief Peter Bafemi Anala, Flying Officer Mane-Twum Ampadu, and Sergeant Ernest Addo Mensah, additionally perished within the crash.
In an unique interview with TV3 on Friday, August 8, Wing Commander Sogbodjor emphasised that each one plane bear stringent checks earlier than departure and that pilots are educated to abort flights if any security issues come up.
“All aeroplanes undergo checks. Pilots additionally do exterior checks earlier than they take off, and if he sees something which isn’t good, he’ll let you know — he is not going to fly. Nobody takes off to go and die,” he defined as quoted by 3News.
Based on Sogbodjor, the crash could have been attributable to a lack of energy mid-flight.
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He famous:
The pilot could have been shedding energy and making an attempt to get the helicopter to stand up. Additionally, due to the aviation kerosene we use, it’s very simple for it to catch fireplace when there’s an affect
He additional speculated that the victims might need been incapacitated earlier than the helicopter burst into flames.
He mentioned:
I’ve a sense by the point it hit the tree and hit the bottom, they could have been in a comatose state of affairs, else they might have tried to crawl out. It [the helicopter] bursts out in flames when it hits an object
The retired officer additionally questioned how the helicopter might have come into contact with a tree, given Ghana’s terrain.
I don’t suppose we have now any tree which is 1,000 or 2,000 toes in Ghana. The topography from Accra to Obuasi can also be recognized. I believe what we have to discover out is what occurred for the plane to have come down for the rotor to the touch or hit a tree
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Sogbodjor outlined commonplace pre-flight and in-flight procedures, noting that pilots meticulously plan their routes, altitude, and climate assessments with air site visitors management earlier than takeoff.
Pilots conduct an exterior inspection, then when you enter the cockpit, you do a pre-start verify. Then you definately begin the engine, after which you settle for that the aircraft is sweet sufficient to fly. You speak to the management tower and plan your flight, your route, your peak, and climate circumstances, after which the tower provides you clearance to take off
He expressed confidence that investigators would establish the reason for the crash, highlighting the crucial function of the plane’s voice recorder.
He defined:
The voice recorder will document all communication between the pilots and the management centre. The parameters of the location are additionally monitored earlier than the crash. So these will give us a way of what occurred
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Sogbodjor added that Ghana possesses the experience to deal with such investigations.
The process they need to undergo is there. We have now misplaced plane earlier than, and these have been investigated. They [the Investigative Board] can deal with it. We have now individuals who can decide what occurred from starting to finish
The tragic incident stays underneath thorough investigation as Ghana mourns the lack of distinguished leaders and devoted army officers.
