Ghana: Military Helicopter Crash Kills Ministers in One of Nation’s Worst Air Disasters

Edited by: Safae Fathi

The Ghanaian government announced today that a military helicopter crash claimed the lives of eight individuals, including the country’s ministers of defense and environment. The Z-9 utility helicopter, which departed from the capital, Accra, on Wednesday morning en route to Obuasi in the Ashanti region, lost contact with air traffic control shortly after takeoff. Authorities confirmed that Defense Minister Edward Omane Boamah and Environment Minister Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed were among the victims, alongside the vice-chair of the ruling National Democratic Congress, a senior national security adviser, and members of the flight crew.

The helicopter was reportedly engaged in a routine domestic operation and was commonly used for personnel transport and medical evacuation. While the cause of the crash remains unknown, investigations have been launched to determine the technical or operational factors that may have led to the incident. Government officials described the event as a “national tragedy,” emphasizing the scale of the loss and its impact on national leadership.

Today’s crash is considered one of the most devastating aviation accidents in Ghana in more than a decade. Previous air disasters include a 2014 helicopter crash off the country’s coast that resulted in several fatalities, and a 2012 cargo plane incident in Accra, which caused the deaths of at least ten civilians after the aircraft overran the runway and collided with a passenger bus. The latest incident is expected to reignite debate over aviation safety standards and maintenance protocols within Ghana’s air fleet.