The tragic plane crash that claimed the life of the vice president of Malawi, Saulos Chilima, six months ago was caused by bad weather and human error, an official inquiry revealed on Saturday, ruling out foul play.
The military aircraft crashed on June 10 in poor weather conditions, with cloudy skies and strong winds leading to high-velocity injuries that killed all passengers instantly, according to the commission’s findings, announced live on national television.
Chilima, 51, a charismatic figure particularly admired by Malawi’s youth, was travelling with former First Lady Shanil Dzimbiri to attend a funeral in Mzuzu, 370 kilometres north of Lilongwe, when the plane went down in dense fog.
The inquiry found that the pilots lost visual references due to low cloud cover and strong winds, resulting in a high-speed impact. Autopsies confirmed all passengers suffered fatal injuries to the face, chest, and limbs.
“there is no evidence of possibility of homicide or other causes of death, such as animal bites or any other third-party agents before and after the accident,” said inquiry chairman Jabbar Alide.
Chilima’s death drew widespread attention due to his strained relationship with President Lazarus Chakwera. Once allies who won the 2020 presidential election together, their relationship soured, with Chilima sidelined and later charged with graft in 2022. The charges were dropped just a month before the crash.
The United Transformation Movement (UTM), Chilima’s political party, initially expressed concerns about the circumstances surrounding the accident, prompting the inquiry.
The report will now be submitted to President Chakwera.
