Bad weather to blame for Ghana's Aug 6 chopper crash

The committee investigating Ghana's Aug 6 helicopter crash has said a sudden loss of altitude amid severe weather was the major cause of the accident.

Paul Forjoe, an aviation expert and committee member who presented the report, said the helicopter ascended steeply to remain above the clouds in challenging terrain on the rainy morning when the incident occurred.

According to Forjoe, a few seconds before the incident, the flight recorder captured the crew saying they could see the high ground below, indicating they had crossed the terrain. 

"Suddenly, thereafter, the helicopter that was flying up without any change in its power or pitch lost height and impacted a ridge at about 1,370 feet (about 417.58 meters) above sea level," the investigator said.

Forjoe said the loss of altitude without a change in power or pitch is consistent with a downdraft associated with changing environmental conditions over high terrains during flights. 

The aircraft lacked terrain awareness warning systems that would have aided the pilot in understanding the environment and making decisions for safety, he added. 

As for the aircraft's explosion, Forjoe explained that the fuel tanks of the Z-9 helicopter were directly under the passengers' sitting area and exploded on impact because they were fully loaded with fuel for the return flight. 

The Ghana Air Force helicopter on an official flight crashed on Aug 6 near Obuasi, one of the country's oldest mining cities, killing all eight on board, including Defense Minister Edward Kofi Omane Boamah and Minister of Environment, Science, Technology, and Innovation Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed.