Pilot, aircraft exonerated in Ghana helicopter crash probe – Patrick Sogbodjor

Wing Commander (Rtd) Patrick Nelson Sogbodjor has praised the committee that investigated the August 6, military helicopter crash in Ghana, describing the work as comprehensive. The committee’s report, presented by Captain (Rtd) Paul Forjoe on Tuesday, November 11, found that the Harbin Z-9EH military helicopter crashed after encountering a severe downdraft that caused a sudden loss of altitude and lift while flying over high terrain. The aircraft, which was on an anti-illegal mining operation from Accra to Obuasi, went down in the Adansi Akrofuom District of the Ashanti Region. All eight people on board, including senior government officials and military officers, died in the crash. Reacting to the committee’s findings, which ruled out mechanical and human error on Eyewitness News on Citi FM, Wing Commander Sogbodjor said the report vindicated the Ghana Air Force and the pilot involved in the tragedy. “I think they’ve done a comprehensive job,” he said. “At the time of the accident, I kept saying we should find out what caused the aircraft to lose sight. Fortunately, the airplane has been exonerated, the pilot has been exonerated, and the third factor was the weather — which nobody can control.” He underscored that the the crash was an unavoidable weather-related event rather than a failure of skill or equipment. “It is not the fault of the pilot or the aircraft,” he added.