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President John Mahama has praised a female pilot who successfully maneuvered a helicopter transporting him and his wife to safety, following  bad weather.

In a tweet Saturday, President Mahama said, “I feel great pride for our armed forces. Great intuition shown by our heli pilots. I feel so proud. And at the controls was a woman.”

The helicopter, which was headed to the Kumasi Airport where the presidential jet was waiting to fly the first family to Accra, had to make an emergency landing at Apatrapa in Kumasi on Friday.

The helicopter landed about 100 metres away from the Apatrapa Government Hospital in Kumasi.

A statement issued by the Ghana Armed forces states the helicopter was transporting the couple to Kumasi from Sunyani, where they had attended a funeral.

It said while approaching Kumasi, a sudden storm with high winds closed in and as a precaution, the crew landed safely on an open field in line with security measures. The first couple was evacuated by officers of the central command and has since been flown back to Accra.