The Ghana Armed Forces has said it has constituted a Preliminary Investigation Team (PIT) to conduct a full assessment of the damage done to the GHF 630 aircraft which had an emergency landing in the Kumbungu District of the Northern Region to enable recovery of the aircraft to the Air Force Base in Tamale.

The emergency landing was on a field about 3 km Southwest of Ganvuliga village.

A statement by GAF signed by the Director of Public Relations, Colonel E Aggrey-Quashie, noted: “The crew landed after observing a malfunction of the tail rotor system, which provides anti-torque and directional control to the aircraft. The incident happened while the crew were returning from Wa to Tamale.”

The statement continued: “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. There were no civilians on board, and no damage nor injuries to property and people on the ground. The landing site has since been secured and efforts are underway to recover the aircraft. The Kumbungu District Chief Executive and the local community are also providing the necessary assistance to the recovery team.”

It further noted: “A Preliminary Investigation Team (PIT) has been constituted and is currently on the site to conduct a full assessment of the damage to the aircraft to allow recovery to Air Force Base, Tamale. The manufacturers of the aircraft, China National Aero-Technology Import and Export Corporation (CATIC) based in China, and their local representatives, have been informed of the incident and are providing all the necessary technical support. The aircraft is one of four helicopters that were delivered to the Ghana Air Force in 2015.”

The GAF also commended the pilots “for their quick judgement and timely intervention for flying the helicopter to a safe emergency landing” and assured 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.”