Lead investigator Captain Paul Forjoe, a retired pilot with the Aircraft Accidents Investigations Bureau (AAIB), has revealed that the pilots of the Z-9 helicopter that crashed near Brofoyedru in the Ashanti Region had no weather information available for the flight route, which contributed to the tragic August 6 accident.
Presenting the investigation findings on Tuesday, November 11. Capt. Forjoe said the crew departed Accra under Visual Flight Rules (VFR) despite marginal weather conditions.
He explained that there were no updates on weather conditions along the route, given that the aircraft was flying over a terrain known for rapid atmospheric changes.
According to him, eyewitness accounts from Brofoyedru and nearby communities confirmed poor visibility caused by fog and rain, conditions that made flying increasingly hazardous.
Capt. Forjoe said the terrain in the area is prone to turbulence, downdrafts and sudden wind changes, noting that downdrafts can produce “sink rates in excess of 1,000 feet per minute,” even in moderate winds.
He added that the flight remained uneventful for most of its journey, covering roughly 90 nautical miles out of the expected 100 until the crew encountered deteriorating weather.
“At 09:56, the crew entered Instrument Meteorological Conditions (IMC) after flying into clouds and were forced to transition from VFR to IFR,” he said.
In the seconds before the crash, Capt. Forjoe noted that the crew reported seeing high ground below, indicating fluctuating visibility as they moved through the cloud layer.
“Suddenly, after, the helicopter lost height without change of power or pitch attitude,” he said.
He noted that the aircraft struck a ridgeline at 1,370 feet above sea level, approximately 6.5 miles from its destination, with the impact occurring at 09:58.
He concluded that a sudden and powerful downdraft was the cause of the catastrophic helicopter crash.