A microlight aircraft on a training flight from Ho to Accra crashed and burst into flames inside a school compound in Tema Community One on Monday afternoon, killing the pilot and the student trainee on board and triggering an immediate emergency response that kept hundreds of schoolchildren, teachers and bystanders from harm.
The Ghana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) confirmed in a statement that the aircraft, registered 9G-ADV, was flying from Ho to Accra and was expected to reach the capital at 1520 Zulu time. Radio contact with the aircraft was lost at 1418 Zulu, approximately one hour before its estimated arrival. The aircraft came down at the Oninku Drive School Park at Site 17 in Tema Community One, close to the Tema Metropolitan Assembly Daycare Centre, sending thick plumes of smoke into the air.
The Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) confirmed that the two occupants were a flight instructor and a student trainee. Both bodies were recovered from the burning wreckage and were burnt beyond recognition. The bodies were deposited at the morgue through the Ghana Police Service for preservation and autopsy pending formal identification.
Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GHAPOHA) personnel assisted the GNFS in extinguishing the blaze. By the time emergency responders arrived, teachers and pupils had already evacuated the school compound and gathered safely on the street outside. No students, teachers or bystanders were injured. The assemblyman for the Kwesi Plange Electoral Area, Ahmed Abdullia, confirmed to local media that none of the children at the site sustained any injuries.
Aviation expert Dr Akparibio, speaking on Joy FM, said microlight aircraft are not typically licensed to fly over densely populated areas and described their global safety record as poor. “Microlights are small aircraft and they normally don’t operate in airspace where there are people or crowded areas,” he said, adding that in some jurisdictions microlight pilots are not required to hold medical licences or airworthiness certificates. He said it was too early to determine the cause of the crash and called for a full investigation to establish the sequence of events before and after radio contact was lost.
Security sources indicated the aircraft was spotted hovering over the Community One area shortly before the crash, apparently searching for a landing space, before it came down inside the school compound. Deputy Defence Minister Brogya Genfi expressed condolences on behalf of the government and confirmed the aircraft was not owned by the Ghana Armed Forces. The GCAA said it would provide further details as investigations continue.
