Crash investigators to begin removal of wreckage in Tema air disaster

A full-scale investigation is underway following a fatal light aircraft crash in Tema on Monday, with officials set to begin the delicate process of removing the wreckage on Tuesday morning.

The crash, which occurred at the TMA Daycare Centre at Community One, Site 17, claimed the lives of the two occupants on board. The aircraft, registered as 9G-ADV, crashed within the school compound and was engulfed in flames, partially burning the victims. In a stroke of fortune, no children or staff members at the daycare center were injured.

John M. K. Wumborti, the Commissioner of the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), confirmed that a team of investigators visited the scene on Monday to conduct preliminary assessments. He stated that the operation to recover the debris would commence at first light on Tuesday.

“For now, the police and the military have secured the crash scene. Tomorrow morning, we will return to collect the debris and secure it for detailed investigations to determine what exactly caused the crash,” Mr. Wumborti told journalists at the cordoned-off site.

The aircraft wreckage will be transported to a secure facility where experts will conduct a meticulous examination as part of the probe to establish the cause of the accident.

Mr. Wumborti commended the swift response of the Ghana Police Service, the Ghana Armed Forces, the Ghana National Fire Service, and the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), whose rapid intervention contained the fire and secured the area for investigators.

Describing the incident as tragic, Mr. Wumborti noted that it marks the second aircraft crash in the country within the last six months. He assured the public that the AAIB is committed to conducting a thorough and transparent investigation to determine the circumstances surrounding the crash and to make recommendations aimed at preventing future occurrences.