Investigation Report: Poor Visibility — Not Human Error — Caused Z-9 Helicopter Crash That Killed 8, Including Two Ministers

The military Z-9 helicopter that crashed on August 6, 2025 — killing eight people, including two cabinet ministers — was confirmed to be in good flying condition before takeoff, according to the official investigation report released on Tuesday, November 11, 2025.

A committee set up to probe the crash revealed that the aircraft encountered rapidly deteriorating weather conditions as it approached Obuasi, about 90 miles from Accra. Mist and low clouds caused visibility to drop significantly.

At 9:56 a.m., the flight crew entered instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) — essentially flying into clouds where visual reference is lost. They then switched to instrument flight rules (IFR), relying solely on cockpit instruments instead of visual cues.

Aware of high terrain ahead, the pilots began climbing to clear it. However, just seconds before the crash, the crew reported they could see the high ground below and continued climbing. Suddenly — with no change in power or pitch (the angle that controls the aircraft’s ascent or descent) — the helicopter lost altitude and struck a ridgeline at about 1,370 feet above sea level, just 6.5 miles from its destination, at 9:58 a.m.

The committee emphasized that there was no evidence of human error.

Before the fatal moment, the flight from Accra to Brofeyedru (10 miles from Obuasi) had been uneventful.

The crash claimed the lives of:

• Dr. Edward Omane Boamah, Minister of Defence

• Dr. Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed, Minister of Environment

• Limuna Muniru, Acting Deputy National Security Coordinator

• Samuel Sarpong, NDC Vice Chairman

• Samuel Aboagye, Deputy Director-General of NADMO

• Plus three crew members

The Z-9 helicopter went off radar that morning during its flight from Accra to Obuasi.

The findings were first presented to the National Security Council on Monday, November 10, before being shared with the public. The investigation was conducted by a 30-day board chaired by National Security Coordinator Abdul-Osman Razak, with technical support from the United States Air Force.

More details are expected to be released.