Ghana experienced misfortune on March 16, 2026, when a helicopter crash at Tema Community 1 claimed the lives of two individuals.

The Sky Arrow microlight helicopter went down inside a school compound on Monday afternoon leaving at least two people feared dead.

The incident reportedly occurred around 3:30 p.m. at Site 18, a busy residential area, where the aircraft descended suddenly and crashed, sending residents and students into panic.

Initial reports suggest that the victims were the pilots on board. Officials from the Ghana National Fire Service arrived quickly at the scene to assess the situation and begin rescue and recovery operations.

Coincidentally, on March 16, 2002, Ghana witnessed a similar tragedy when a Ghana Air Force helicopter crashed near the town of Nkawkaw, about 130 kilometres northwest of Accra, killing all seven people on board.

According to a defence official at the time, the helicopter had been dispatched to pick up two victims of a road accident in Boma, approximately 160 kilometres from the capital and transport them to Accra for specialised medical care.

The aircraft, however, went down near Nkawkaw, killing four crew members, two patients and a nurse.

Two die in helicopter crash at Tema Community 1 - Reports

The cause of the crash was not immediately known but the pilot reportedly lost contact with the Accra control tower earlier that afternoon.

The helicopter, initially declared missing, was later found in Sekyimase village near Kyebi in the Eastern Region after nearly three days of intensive search. Sekyimase lies within the Atewa Forest, several kilometres off the Accra-Kumasi main road.

About 400 personnel drawn from the Army, Navy, Air Force, Police, Ghana National Fire Service and the Forestry Commission were deployed in the search operation across Nkawkaw and surrounding areas.

All seven occupants were confirmed dead and their bodies were conveyed to the 37 Military Hospital mortuary.

Meanwhile, the Head Pastor of Kairos Family Chapel International, Emmanuel Nana Acheampong, paid tribute to his late father, Wing Commander Ben Nana Acheampong, who was among the victims of the 2002 crash in the Atiwa Forest.

In a Facebook post on March 16, 2026, marking the 24th anniversary of the tragedy, he wrote, “For the past 24 years of my life, there has not been a single day you were not on my mind. Keep resting in the Lord. My pilot, my hero, my mentor. At the going down of the sun and in the morning, we will remember them. Lest we forget.”



AM/VPO

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