Security analyst, Colonel Festus Aboagye (Rtd.), has shed light on the role of flight recorders and forensic analysis in uncovering the cause of the recent military helicopter crash that killed eight Ghanaian soldiers.
According to him, the aircraft was fitted with what the manufacturer describes as an anti-crash recorder, a type of black box that retains the last 30 minutes of flight data before an incident.
While different from some recorders that capture longer timelines, he explained that the information remains “critical and significant” for investigators.
“The recorder will provide flight parameters such as engine performance, altitude, bearing, speed, and other key details. It will also capture cockpit conversations, which can prove vital in reconstructing the chain of events leading to the crash,” Col. Aboagye noted.
He emphasized, while speaking on TV3’s KeyPoints on August 16, that the cockpit voice recorder could even capture exchanges with non-crew members if they were present in the cockpit.
This, he suggested, might include conversations between the pilots and passengers interactions that could later be cross-verified through mobile phone records or telecom data.
Citing a reported claim that a passenger spoke with someone outside before the crash, Col. Aboagye stressed the need for investigators to work with telecommunications companies.
“Records of calls, their timing, and duration can all be retrieved and matched with cockpit voice recordings to establish consistency and timelines,” he explained.
Beyond the black box, he pointed to the importance of forensic science in the investigation.
DNA testing will play a role in confirming the identities of those on board, while other forensic methods will help clarify the circumstances of the accident.
“In modern investigations, it is not only about the wreckage. Phone data, voice recordings, and forensic analysis together give investigators a holistic view of what transpired,” he said.
Col. Aboagye added that while the loss is painful, the painstaking process of collecting and analyzing every piece of evidence is the only way to determine the truth and prevent similar tragedies in the future.
