In recent months, Africa's skies have been under intense scrutiny as a series of fatal crashes have raised questions over pilot training, regulatory enforcement, maintenance standards, weather preparedness and other key issues pertaining to the safety of the continent's aviation industry. On August 6, a Harbin Z-9EH military helicopter used by Ghana's air force slammed into a forested mountainside in the southern Ashanti Region, killing all eight passengers, including Defence Minister Edward Omane Boamah, Environment and Science Minister Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed as well as other senior political and security figures. Ghana debates prophecy in politics after deadly crash 04:05 Just one day later, this tragedy was overshadowed by another crash, when a Cessna air ambulance operated by AMREF Flying Doctors in Kenya crashed into a residential area near the capital Nairobi shortly after takeoff, claiming six lives — four on board and two on the ground. In January, a chartered Beechcraft 1900D carrying oil workers from South Sudan's Unity State to the capital Juba went down just minutes after departure from the GPOC Unity Airstrip in Rubkona County, killing all 21 on board. In June 2024, Malawi lost Vice-President Saulos Chilima and former First Lady Patricia Shanil Muluzi to another fatal crash when a Malawi Defence Force Dornier 228 plane plunged into the Chikangawa Forest Reserve en route to the city of Mzuzu, causing nine fatalities. Growing reports of severe turbulence incidents, which have left multiple passengers injured during civilian flights, have also intensified the attention towards African aviation. Workers are seen loading a helicopter with body bags believed to be those of Malawi's Vice President Saulos Klaus Chilima and nine others who died on June 11, 2024Workers are seen loading a helicopter with body bags believed to be those of Malawi's Vice President Saulos Klaus Chilima and nine others who died on June 11, 2024 Malawi's Vice President Saulos Chilima and former First Lady Patricia Shanil Muluzi both died in a plane crash in June 2024Image: Zambia Air Force via REUTERS Human error — and hubris Industry experts say the machines themselves are not the problem, stressing that human error, systemic negligence, an insufficient safety culture, and increasingly unpredictable weather patterns are the factors that, over time, have resulted in this worrying track record. "Airplanes are faithful machines. They are built to serve. They are built so well that [they're] loaded with a lot of redundant components in such a way that before anything goes wrong, the airplane faithfully tells the pilots and the engineers at every point in time," Nigerian aviation consultant Godwin Ike told DW, highlighting the abundance of backup systems in modern planes and helicopters. In his view, aircraft will typically only "fall out of the skies because human operators can be very unfaithful and more often than not, horribly dishonest." A man is seen laying down flowers in tribute to the victims of the military helicopter crash in Ghana on August 10, 2025A man is seen laying down flowers in tribute to the victims of the military helicopter crash in Ghana on August 10, 2025 Ghana announced three days of national mourning for the five government officials and three military personnel who died in the military helicopter crashImage: Seth/Xinhua/IMAGO According to Ike, there's a certain element of human pride that can still get in the way of otherwise perfectly operational aircraft. Ike insists that taking simple actions like refusing take-off when automated systems detect a fault can make all the difference between life and death, adding that adhering to regular maintenance schedules are also just as important. "Turn that plane in for maintenance that is due. In that way, you can be guaranteed usage without any issues," he said, adding this is not a form of weakness but safety in action.