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2024 Chikangawa Dornier 228 crash

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2024 Chikangawa Dornier 228 crash
A Malawi Air Force Dornier 228, sister to the aircraft involved in the accident
Accident
Date10 June 2024 (2024-06-10)
SummaryUnder investigation
SiteChikangawa Forest Reserve, Nkhata Bay District, Northern Region, Malawi
Aircraft
Aircraft typeDornier 228
OperatorMalawi Defence Force
RegistrationMAF-T03
Flight originKamuzu International Airport, Lilongwe, Malawi
DestinationMzuzu Airport, Mzuzu, Malawi
Occupants9
Passengers6
Crew3
Fatalities9
Survivors0

On 10 June 2024, a Malawian Defence Force Dornier 228 carrying Vice-President of Malawi Saulos Chilima, former First Lady Patricia Shanil Muluzi, and seven other occupants, crashed in Chikangawa Forest Reserve in Nkhata Bay District; all on board died in Malawi's deadliest aviation accident.

At the time of the crash, the aircraft and its passengers were en route from Lilongwe to Mzuzu Airport in the Northern Region to attend a funeral.[1][2]

Background

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The aircraft involved, manufactured in 1987,[3] was a Dornier 228-228(K) which belonged to the Malawi Air Force. The aircraft had accumulated 3,492 flight hours.[4] It had previously been used to transport President Lazarus Chakwera several times and had conducted its previous flight hours before the crash.[5]

On 10 June 2024, the aircraft, carrying Vice-President Saulos Chilima, former First Lady Patricia Shanil Muluzi, and seven other occupants,[6] including members of Chilima's staff and security detail[1] and three military crew,[7] left Kamuzu International Airport in the capital Lilongwe at 9:17 a.m. CAT, and was scheduled to arrive at Mzuzu Airport in the Northern Region at 10:02 a.m.[8] The passengers were on their way to attend the funeral for former government minister Ralph Kasambara, and were to return to Lilongwe afterward.[9][10]

Accident

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The aircraft disappeared from radar shortly after taking off from Lilongwe, with aviation officials unable to contact the aircraft. The disappearance prompted a search and rescue operation to locate the aircraft.[11]

Poor weather conditions prevailed along the intended flight path, and eyewitnesses reported an aircraft crash in the Chikangawa Forest area. Chilima's phone was reported by local news sources to have been last detected at around 10:30 a.m.[9] Authorities said that the aircraft had turned back from Mzuzu due to poor visibility.[12]

The wreckage of the aircraft was found by Malawi Defence Force soldiers in Chikangawa Forest on 11 June. No survivors were found.[12] Authorities described the aircraft as "completely destroyed", with its occupants believed to have died on impact.[1]

Recovery efforts

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President Lazarus Chakwera cancelled a visit to the Bahamas after learning about the disappearance from Malawi Defence Force chief General Paul Valentino Phiri, and ordered a search and rescue operation.[13][14] He also called for prayers for the missing and their families. The United States, the United Kingdom, Norway and Israel offered assistance and provided "specialized technologies",[15][7] with the US embassy offering the use of a C-12 aircraft from the Department of Defense. The Malawian government also asked for assistance from neighbouring Zambia and Tanzania.[1]

Aftermath

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The remains of the victims were transported to Lilongwe aboard a Zambian Air Force helicopter on 11 June. President Chakwera subsequently declared 21 days of national mourning beginning on 11 June and said that Chilima would be accorded a state funeral.[6]

A service was held for Chilima at the Bingu National Stadium in Lilongwe on 16 June, during which at least 41,000 people attended. Chakwera and other government officials were booed by some mourners, forcing Catholic priests officiating the ceremony to intervene and restore order.[16] Clashes erupted between police and mourners as Chilima's remains were being transported to Ntcheu on the evening of 16 June, and a vehicle in his convoy ran over several pedestrians as it was passing through Dedza, killing four people and injuring 12 others.[17] Chilima was buried on 17 June in his home village of Nsipe, in a ceremony that was also attended by Chakwera and his three living predecessors as president, Bakili Muluzi, Joyce Banda and Peter Mutharika.[18]

On 21 June, Michael Usi, the deputy leader of Chilima's political party, the United Transformation Movement (UTM), was appointed as the new vice president.[19]

Investigation

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Chakwera called for an independent investigation into the crash, saying that the Malawi Defence Force cannot conduct an investigation "that can be credible on its own".[18] Government spokesperson Moses Kunkuyu announced that the German Federal Bureau of Aircraft Accident Investigation (BFU) would investigate the accident with a representative of General Atomics also joining the investigation.[20]

Interim report

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On 30 August, the BFU released their interim report, finding that adverse weather conditions were a significant factor that led to the accident, with the aircraft descending into a hillside due to the pilots suffering spatial disorientation in deteriorating weather conditions. The report noted that the aircraft was equipped with neither a cockpit voice recorder (CVR) nor a flight data recorder (FDR).[3][4] Additionally, the BFU found that the aircraft's emergency locator transmitter (ELT) was non functioning because its battery had been expired since 2004. According to the Malawi Air Force, there were no spare parts to replace the battery and no budget to replace the older ELT with a newer version.[3]: 16  Radar coverage was also found to have been insufficient with radio communications between the flight crew and air traffic controls (ATC) at Lilongwe Airport and Mzuzu Airport not having been recorded.[3][4]

Reactions

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President Chakwera said he was "deeply saddened and sorry" over the disaster and praised Chilima, describing him as a "formidable VP".[12] FIFA president Gianni Infantino, who was in Malawi for a scheduled visit and had been due to meet with Chilima, expressed his condolences to his widow, Mary Nkhamanyachi Chilima.[21]

The UTM accused authorities of a slow response to the disaster and said that the aircraft did not carry a transponder.[1][2]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e Gondwe, Gregory and Imray, Gerald (11 June 2024). "Malawi's vice president and 9 others are confirmed dead after their plane's wreckage is found". Associated Press. Archived from the original on 11 June 2024. Retrieved 11 June 2024.
  2. ^ a b "UTM Raises Transparency Concerns Over Missing VP's Plane". AfricaBrief. 11 June 2024. Retrieved 21 June 2024.
  3. ^ a b c d "Interim report of an accident with a Dornier 228-202(K)" (PDF). German Federal Bureau of Aircraft Accident Investigation. Retrieved 4 September 2024.
  4. ^ a b c "Interim Report on the Malawi Vice President Air Accident: A Summary". Airspace Africa. 30 August 2024. Retrieved 4 September 2024.
  5. ^ "Malawi's vice president, former first lady among 10 people killed in plane crash". France 24. 11 June 2024. Retrieved 11 June 2024.
  6. ^ a b "Malawi announces state funeral and 21 days of mourning for vice president killed in a plane crash". Africanews. 11 June 2024. Archived from the original on 12 June 2024. Retrieved 12 June 2024.
  7. ^ a b Gondwe, Gregory and Imray, Gerald (11 June 2024). "Soldiers in Malawi search for missing military plane carrying vice president and former first lady". Associated Press. Archived from the original on 10 June 2024. Retrieved 11 June 2024.
  8. ^ Mathers, Matt (10 June 2024). "Aircraft carrying Malawi vice president Saulos Chilima goes missing". The Independent. Archived from the original on 10 June 2024. Retrieved 10 June 2024.
  9. ^ a b "Malawi Vice President feared dead in plane crash". Malawi 24. 10 June 2024. Archived from the original on 11 June 2024. Retrieved 10 June 2024.
  10. ^ "Aircraft carrying Malawi vice president missing, search under way". Al Jazeera. Archived from the original on 10 June 2024. Retrieved 10 June 2024.
  11. ^ Chibelushi, Wedaeli (10 June 2024). "Saulos Chilima: Malawi vice-president's plane goes missing". BBC. Archived from the original on 10 June 2024. Retrieved 10 June 2024.
  12. ^ a b c Chibelushi, Wedaeli; Jegwa, Peter (11 June 2024). "Saulos Chilima: Malawi VP's plane found with no survivors, president says". BBC. Archived from the original on 11 June 2024. Retrieved 11 June 2024.
  13. ^ "Plane Carrying Malawi's VP Missing: Govt". Barron's. 10 June 2024. Archived from the original on 10 June 2024. Retrieved 10 June 2024.
  14. ^ "Search underway for Malawi vice president after military jet disappears". Africanews. 11 June 2024. Archived from the original on 10 June 2024. Retrieved 11 June 2024.
  15. ^ GONDWE, GREGORY. "Malawi's vice president and 9 others are confirmed dead in plane crash". ABC News. Archived from the original on 13 June 2024. Retrieved 14 June 2024.
  16. ^ "Malawians pay tribute to vice-president killed in plane crash". BBC. 16 June 2024. Archived from the original on 17 June 2024. Retrieved 16 June 2024.
  17. ^ "Mourners killed by car in Malawi VP's funeral convoy". BBC. 17 June 2024. Archived from the original on 17 June 2024. Retrieved 17 June 2024.
  18. ^ a b "Malawi's vice president laid to rest as president calls for an independent probe into his death". Associated Press. 18 June 2024. Archived from the original on 18 June 2024. Retrieved 18 June 2024.
  19. ^ "Top comedian sworn in as Malawi's vice-president". BBC. 21 June 2024. Retrieved 21 June 2024.
  20. ^ Masina, Lameck (25 June 2024). "German experts to investigate Malawi vice president's plane crash". Voice of America. Retrieved 4 September 2024.
  21. ^ "FIFA president visits Malawi for first time, offers condolences over passing of nation's VP". Africanews. 13 June 2024. Archived from the original on 12 June 2024. Retrieved 13 June 2024.
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