The August crash of a military helicopter in Ghana, which killed eight people, including the Ministers of Defense and the Environment, was due in particular to poor weather conditions, aggravated by safety deficiencies, according to the findings of an official investigation published Tuesday.

According to investigators, the weather, reduced visibility and rugged terrain contributed to the accident that occurred on August 6 in southern Ghana, West Africa.

"The accident was caused by a sudden loss of altitude and lift, caused by a downdraft," a phenomenon linked to atmospheric turbulence, according to the report.

The aircraft, a 12-year-old Chinese-made helicopter that had been in service with the Ghanaian Air Force for 10 years, "was airworthy but lacked additional safety enhancements," said Captain Paul Forjoe, a former airline pilot and aeronautical engineer who headed the commission.

The investigation notably reveals the absence of a TAWS (Tactical Airborne Warning System) which warns pilots of a risk of collision with the ground.

It also highlights shortcomings in national aeronautical infrastructure, with limited navigational aids, a lack of simulator training for military pilots, and the absence of flight data analysis or real-time flight tracking systems, such as secondary radars.

"No meteorological information was available to the pilot along the flight path," the commission also stated in its report.

The eight occupants of the aircraft perished in the crash: Defense Minister Edward Omane Boamah, Environment Minister Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed, several senior political officials and the crew members.