A Ghana Air Force aircraft procured from China in 2015 performed an emergency landing on Thursday, June 25 in Ganvuliga in the Kumbungu District of the Northern Region.
It is unclear what may have caused the emergency landing but preliminary investigations revealed that the crew crash-landed after observing a malfunction of the tail rotor system, which provides anti-torque and directional control to the aircraft.
A statement issued by the Director of Public Relations of the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF), Colonel Emmanuel Aggrey-Quashie, said there were a total of eight passengers on board.
They were returning to Tamale from Wa.
“All the 4 crew members and 4 other military personnel on board at the time of the incident were successfully recovered within minutes by another Ghana Air Force helicopter, with no fatalities nor injuries,” the statement said.
“There were no civilians on board, and no damage nor injuries to property and people on ground.”
A preliminary investigation team (PIT) has since been constituted and is said to be on-site to assess the extent of damage in order to haul the aircraft back to the Air Force Base in Tamale.
“The landing site has since been secured and efforts are underway to recover the aircraft.”
The Z9-EH helicopter with tail number GHF 630 was procured from China National Aero-Technology Import and Export Corporation (CATIC).
Their local representatives have since been informed about Thursday’s incident and “are providing all the necessary technical support”.
The aircraft is said to be one of four helicopters delivered to the Ghana Air Force in 2015.
The crew has been commended for their “quick” judgement and “timely intervention”.
“The Ghana Armed Forces wishes to assure the general public that the military is still operational and its activities have in no way been affected by this incident. The morale of personnel is high and normal activities are ongoing.”
By Emmanuel Kwame Amoh|3news.com|Ghana