A long standing claim that former President Jerry John Rawlings once flew an aircraft under the Adomi Bridge has been dismissed by retired Ghana Air Force officer Air Commodore Kwame Korankye Pumpuni.
According to Pumpuni, the widely circulated story is not true and there is no evidence to support the claim that Rawlings ever performed such a risky maneuver during his time as a military pilot.
Speaking in an interview, the retired Air Commodore explained that the story has been repeated for many years and gradually became accepted as fact by many Ghanaians. However, he stressed that the event never actually happened.
Pumpuni stated that while Rawlings served as a Flight Lieutenant in the Ghana Air Force, there is no record of him flying a jet or aircraft under the Adomi Bridge in the Eastern Region. He indicated that the claim is largely based on hearsay and has been exaggerated over time.
The retired officer also pointed out that performing such a stunt would have been extremely dangerous and highly unlikely given the structure and design of the bridge. According to him, aviation safety procedures and the technical limitations of military aircraft operations would have made such an action nearly impossible.
For years, the story has remained one of the popular legends associated with Rawlings, who was known for his bold personality and strong military background. Many people believed the tale as part of the narrative surrounding his time in the Ghana Armed Forces before he became Ghana’s leader.
Rawlings first came to power after a military uprising in 1979 and later led another coup in 1981 before eventually transitioning Ghana to democratic rule in 1992, becoming the country’s elected president from 1993 to 2001.
Pumpuni’s clarification seeks to correct what he describes as a persistent myth that has followed Rawlings for decades. His comments aim to set the historical record straight regarding the former president’s aviation career.
