Deputy Majority Chief Whip, Comfort Doyoe Cudjoe Ghansah, has suggested that the Ghana Air Force helicopter accident that killed eight senior officials and crew members was the result of a mid-air explosion rather than a crash.
Speaking on Okay FM, Ghansah dismissed initial reports that the Harbin Z-9 military helicopter had crashed upon impact. She argued that the nature of the wreckage and the dispersal of victims indicated a blast occurred before the aircraft hit the ground.
“The aircraft blasted; it did not crash,” she said. “In typical crashes, the wreckage is found in one place, and the victims are together. But in this case, helicopter parts were scattered, and victims were discovered far apart — some even in a deep valley. For those strapped in their seats to end up so far from each other, it means the explosion happened mid-air.”
The lawmaker expressed hope that data retrieved from the aircraft’s black box — which has been located — will confirm the true cause of the tragedy. She urged the government to make the findings public.
The fatal incident occurred on August 6, 2025, when the Ghana Air Force helicopter, en route from Kotoka International Airport in Accra to Obuasi for an anti-illegal mining event, crashed into a forested mountainside in the Adansi Akrofuom District of the Ashanti Region.
The victims included Minister of Defense Edward Omane Boamah, Minister of Environment, Science and Technology Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed, Acting Deputy National Security Coordinator Alhaji Muniru Mohammed Limuna, Vice Chairman of the National Democratic Congress Samuel Sarpong, former parliamentary candidate Samuel Aboagye, and three crew members: Squadron Leader Peter Bafemi Anala, Flying Officer Manin Twum-Ampadu, and Sergeant Ernest Addo Mensah.
All eight bodies were found burned beyond recognition, requiring DNA analysis for identification.
The Ghana Armed Forces has launched an investigation into the accident, but the official cause remains undetermined. Ghansah’s comments add to ongoing public speculation surrounding the disaster.
