CBC

Mon Jun 5, 1:41 pm

Plane crashes in Ghana

A Ghanaian military plane crashed today while attempting to land at a runway in Accra. Officials say two people are dead, others are in hospital.

The Fokker-27 military plane was being used as a passenger airliner. It's not known how many people were on board.

Witnesses say the plane tried to land in heavy rain. They say after it slammed into the ground on the runway, it split in two.

-- Rachel Gibson (rgibson@hotmail.com), June 05, 2000

Answers

Nando Times

ACCRA, Ghana (June 5, 2000 4:48 p.m. EDT http://www.nandotimes.com) - A Ghanaian military plane operating as a passenger airliner crashed Monday as it was landing in the capital of this West African country, killing at least six people, airport officials said.

More than 30 of the 52 passengers on board Air Link 200 were taken to a nearby military hospital for treatment, said Andy Mensah, director general of the Ghanaian civil aviation authority.

The six killed included three foreigners, Mensah said. He did not provide their nationalities.

Airport officials blamed the weather for the crash, which occurred just before noon in pouring rain. The plane landed nose-first and broke in two at the start of the tarmac, witnesses said.

Fire and rescue crews rushed to the scene at Kotoka International Airport.

The plane, a 60-seat Fokker-27 aircraft, was on a regular passenger service run from the northern town of Tamale.

When the pilot realized the poor visibility in Accra, he attempted to land at Takoradi, about 250 miles to the west, and at Lome, capital of neighboring Togo. But the weather was bad in those places, too, and he returned to Accra, Mensah said. The pilot survived the crash.

The airport was closed this afternoon to clear up the debris, and the airline suspended all flights.

Air Link, Ghana's only domestic airline, is run by the military.

-- Rachel Gibson (rgibson@hotmail.com), June 05, 2000.