{"id":88674,"date":"2025-08-07T17:27:49","date_gmt":"2025-08-07T17:27:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=88674"},"modified":"2025-08-07T17:27:49","modified_gmt":"2025-08-07T17:27:49","slug":"i-nearly-died-in-a-plane-crash-in-2007-kufuor-recounts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=88674","title":{"rendered":"\u2018I nearly died in a plane crash in 2007\u2019 \u2013 Kufuor recounts"},"content":{"rendered":"
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In light of the recent tragic helicopter crash in Ghana that claimed the lives of eight individuals, former President John Agyekum Kufuor has shared a harrowing experience from his presidency, revealing a narrow escape from a potential plane disaster over the Sahara Desert back in 2007.<\/p>\n

Recalling the incident during an official visit to Libya, President Kufuor described the tense moments while travelling with an entourage of 12 to 16 people from Tripoli to Khartoum, Sudan\u2019s capital. <\/p>\n

\u201cI remember that sometime in 2007, had it not been for God\u2019s intervention, I would have been involved in a plane crash over the Sahara Desert,\u201d he revealed during an interview on Angel TV.<\/p>\n

The former president recounted how the aircraft, which had just taken off after his meeting with the late Muammar Gaddafi, suddenly struggled to gain altitude. <\/p>\n

\u201cAll 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?\u201d he reflected.<\/p>\n

Adding to the anxiety was the lack of communication from the flight crew. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe pilot remained silent, not communicating anything to us,\u201d Kufuor remarked, highlighting the unsettling atmosphere on board. <\/p>\n

As passengers grew increasingly uneasy, they noticed the flight attendants hastily moving luggage towards their seats, further intensifying fears.<\/p>\n

In a desperate attempt to ensure safety, the pilot diverted the plane\u2019s course toward the Mediterranean Sea. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe 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,\u201d Kufuor explained.<\/p>\n

Upon landing, the sight of emergency fire tenders and security vehicles racing across the tarmac confirmed the gravity of the situation. <\/p>\n

\u201cAs 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\u2019t fly any higher, so he had to return to Tripoli,\u201d he said, reflecting on the chaos and concern surrounding their arrival.<\/p>\n

The former president candidly acknowledged the risks associated with diplomatic travel, stating, \u201cI have witnessed something like this before.\u201d <\/p>\n

Following the incident, the delegation had to spend the night in Tripoli while arrangements were made for a new aircraft to continue their journey to Sudan.<\/p>\n

In the wake of the recent helicopter tragedy, Kufuor\u2019s recounting serves as a poignant reminder of the vulnerabilities faced by those in public service. <\/p>\n

The risks associated with air travel, especially during official duties, can be daunting. <\/p>\n

His experience underscores the importance of safety protocols and communication during flights.<\/p>\n

As the nation mourns the loss of lives in the recent helicopter crash, Kufuor\u2019s story resonates with many who understand that the skies can be unpredictable and every journey carries its own set of challenges.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"FormerIn light of the recent tragic helicopter crash in Ghana that claimed the lives of eight individuals, former President John Agyekum Kufuor has shared a harrowing experience from his presidency, revealing a narrow escape from a potential plane disaster over the Sahara Desert back in 2007.<\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":{"facebook_2277560469115098_106292521332774":"","twitter_aToxNzczMzI3Njk4OTg4ODUxMjAxOw==_1773327698988851200":""},"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5955,1917,2969,1883,117,10,9,2747,6089],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-88674","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-helicopter-crash","category-hp-news-4","category-kufuor","category-national","category-news","category-politics","category-popular","category-sudan","category-tripoli"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/88674","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=88674"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/88674\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=88674"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=88674"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=88674"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}