Eight people died in the fatal helicopter crash
Ghanaians will today, Tuesday, November 11, 2025, receive details of the helicopter crash report following several months of intensive investigations.
This follows the submission of the final report by the investigation board constituted to probe the fatal helicopter crash of August 6, 2025, which claimed eight lives. The report was presented to the National Security Council on Monday, November 10, 2025.
According to officials, the report’s findings will be made public at 11:30 a.m. during a televised briefing from the Jubilee House.
The investigative committee, chaired by National Security Coordinator DCOP Abdul-Osman Razak, was initially given a 30-day deadline by the Acting Minister of Defence, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson, on Wednesday, September 24, 2025, but the deadline was later extended due to the complexity of the case.
Helicopter crash report to be presented on Monday – Kwakye Ofosu
The board included representatives from the Ghana Air Force and the Aircraft Accident and Incident Investigation and Prevention Bureau (AIB-Ghana), with technical support and advisory assistance from the United States Air Force.
It was also mandated to engage relevant experts and institutions, both local and international, to assist in uncovering the cause of the crash.
Background
On August 6, 2025, a Ghana Air Force Harbin Z-9EH military helicopter (tail number GHF 631) crashed into a forested mountainside near Obuasi in the Ashanti Region, killing all eight people on board.
The aircraft, a Chinese-licensed variant of the French Eurocopter AS365 Dauphin, had departed the Air Force Base in Accra at approximately 9:12 a.m. local time, en route to an event on illegal gold mining in the Obuasi area.
Shortly after takeoff, the helicopter went off radar. The wreckage was later discovered destroyed by a post-crash fire, with all victims burned beyond recognition.
Among the deceased were two Cabinet ministers and other high-ranking officials — a devastating loss that plunged the nation into mourning.
The victims included:
• Dr Edward Omane Boamah, Minister of Defence
• Alhaji Dr. Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed, Minister of Environment
• Alhaji Mohammed Muniru Limuna, Deputy National Security Coordinator
• Dr Samuel Sarpong, Vice Chairman of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC)
• Samuel Aboagye, Deputy National Coordinator, NADMO
• Squadron Leader Peter Bafemi Anala, pilot
• Flying Officer Malin Twum-Ampadu, co-pilot
• Sergeant Ernest Addo Mensah, flight engineer
Samples were flown to South Africa for forensic identification of the victims’ remains.
A state funeral was held in Accra on August 15, 2025, attended by the President and senior government officials. The two Muslim victims, Alhaji Limuna and Dr Murtala Muhammed, were buried earlier on August 10, 2025, in accordance with Islamic rites.
It is hoped that the findings of the investigative board will establish the facts surrounding this national tragedy and provide closure to the affected families.
MAG/MA
Watch the promo to GhanaWeb’s latest documentary, which uncovers the evolution of ‘kayamata,’ an exploitative practice fueled by love charms and manipulation, titled, “The Dark Side of Kayamata,’ below:
