The Aircraft Accident and Incident Investigation and Prevention Bureau (AIB Ghana) has revealed that children playing on a field at the Tema Day Care School near the Oninku School Park misunderstood a microlight pilot’s attempt to signal them to clear the area for an emergency landing before the aircraft crashed.
Presenting the final investigation report on Tuesday, May 26, Lead Investigator, Captain Paul Fordjour (Rtd), said the pilot flew the aircraft at a low altitude over Tema township in an effort to attract the attention of pupils playing on the school field.
According to the report, the pilot intended to alert the children to vacate the field to allow for an emergency landing following difficulties with the aircraft.
However, the children reportedly misunderstood the emergency signal and instead waved back at the aircraft while continuing to play on the field.
“The pilot was seen in an attempt to signal to school children playing on their school filed to vacate the filed to enable the aircraft make an emergency landing
“Unfortunately, the school children misunderstood the intentions of the aircraft and happily waved back at the aircraft and continued playing on the field. The attempted landing was therefore aborted,” portions of the report stated.
The report further indicated that during a subsequent forced landing attempt, the aircraft was observed in a left-bank attitude shortly before it lost control and crashed within the premises of the Tema Day Care School in Community One near the Oninku School Park.
Investigators said the final flight path of the aircraft passed by several tress before clipping part of the roof of the Day Care Centre and finally impacting a single tree at a dumpsite located between two of the Day Care buildings.
The microlight aircraft, registered 9G-ADV, crashed on March 16, 2026, within the premises of the TMA Day Care Centre near the Oninku Drive Basic School in Tema Community One.
