As Ghana mourns the tragic loss of eight lives in a recent military helicopter crash, former President John Agyekum Kufuor has opened up about a terrifying moment during his presidency — a narrow escape from a plane crash over the Sahara Desert in 2007.
During an interview on Angel TV, the former president reflected on a diplomatic trip to Libya that turned frightening while flying from Tripoli to Khartoum, the capital of Sudan.
“I remember that sometime in 2007, had it not been for God’s intervention, I would have been involved in a plane crash over the Sahara Desert,” he revealed.
According to Kufuor, shortly after takeoff following a meeting with the late Muammar Gaddafi, the aircraft began to struggle mid-air.
“All of a sudden, over the desert, the plane could not ascend. It had become heavy, and for almost 30 minutes, it refused to gain altitude. When you looked down, all you could see was the desert. Eeeii! What was about to happen to us here?” he recounted.
The silence from the cockpit added to the growing panic. “The pilot remained silent, not communicating anything to us,” Kufuor recalled. Meanwhile, flight attendants began shifting passengers’ luggage toward their seats, a move that alarmed the delegation.
In a bid to stabilize the aircraft, the pilot redirected the plane toward the Mediterranean Sea, though the altitude issue persisted for nearly an hour before they made an emergency landing back in Tripoli.
“The plane managed to manoeuvre and made a turn to align over the Mediterranean Sea, although it was still struggling to fly at a higher altitude for nearly an hour before we finally landed in Tripoli,” he explained.
On arrival, the gravity of the situation became evident. “As we were landing, we noticed fire tenders and security vehicles speeding across the airport tarmac. That was when the pilot confirmed that the plane couldn’t fly any higher, so he had to return to Tripoli,” Kufuor said.
The delegation was forced to spend the night in Libya while arrangements were made for a different aircraft to continue their journey.
Reflecting on the incident, Kufuor said, “I have witnessed something like this before.”
His revelation comes at a time when the nation is grappling with the loss of two ministers and six others who perished in the August 6 helicopter crash in the Ashanti Region. The story highlights the inherent risks of diplomatic air travel and the importance of strict safety measures and communication protocols.
