Following a military helicopter crash that killed eight, including senior officials, Ghanaian experts are calling for urgent aviation safety reforms.
Kofi Bentil, Vice President of policy think tank IMANI Africa, cautioned that aviation expansion inevitably increases accident risks. He stressed that proactive measures are essential to improve survivability.
“A military aircraft crash should prompt systemic reflection,” Bentil stated during a TV3 interview. “With sector growth, incidents may recur. We must prepare rigorously.” He emphasized that security agencies like the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) must refine Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for emergencies. Despite praising GAF as “West Africa’s best,” he noted resource constraints necessitate policy discussions.
Retired Colonel Festus Aboagye, a security analyst, clarified radar protocols amid public questions about response timing. He explained that losing radar contact doesn’t immediately indicate distress, citing terrain and altitude factors. “ICAO guidelines require a 30-minute alert phase followed by a 30-minute distress window before declaring an emergency,” he noted. The crashed helicopter disappeared from radar for 27 minutes before the distress call at 11:02 AM.
The Airforce Z9 helicopter vanished on August 6 during a flight from Accra to Obuasi, crashing in Adansi Akrofuom. Victims included Defence Minister Dr. Edward Omane Boamah, Environment Minister Murtala Mohammed, and former Ashanti Regional Minister Samuel Sarpong. Ghana observed three days of national mourning, with final funeral rites held on August 15.
Source: newsghana.com.gh
