A member of the NPP communication team in the Tano South Constituency, Abdula Jafaru, known as ‘King Jafa’, has urged President John Dramani Mahama to purchase a new presidential jet for the country as a matter of urgency.
Commenting on Bechem-based After2 Radio on the military helicopter crash that claimed eight lives in the Adansi Akrofuom District of the Ashanti Region on Wednesday, August 6.
The crash, which has plunged the nation into mourning, resulted in the deaths of high-profile officials, including the Minister for Defence, Dr Edward Omane Boamah, and the Minister for Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, Ibrahim Murtala Mohammed.
Also on board were senior national security personnel and crew members of the Ghana Armed Forces.
Abdula Jafaru said, Ghana would have lost the president if not he decided to attend equally important program in Accra because it was possible the president would have used same helicopter to the event because Ghana’s presidential jet has been grounded at the Dassault Falcon Service facility in Le Bourget, France, for four months due to what has been described as massive wear and tear issues.
He said, the current state of the Dassault Falcon 900EX EASy jet include fuel tank contamination, the turbofan engine problems, and other vital components, sources, which engineers say put it at risk of engine failure during flight.
Government sources indicated that the jet was sent to the Dassault Falcon Service facility for the mandatory 24-month inspection, during which the massive extent of corrosion was detected.
Meanwhile, outstanding maintenance activities on the flight include further work on the feeder tanks, pending feedback from Dassault Aviation.
Additionally, he said, the president should order a probable check of all helicopters at the Ghana Armed Forces before use to prevent future occurrences.
Pleading with the president, he added that a fund should be considered for the immediate families of the deceased persons since most were the breadwinners of their families.
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