Fresh plane crash probe gets nod

President Peter Mutharika has ordered a fresh inquiry into the military plane crash that killed former vice-president Saulos Chilima and eight others in a bid to fill purported gaps in previous investigations. Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs Charles Mhango, who the President tasked to study two previous reports on the June 10 2024 military plane crash in Viphya Plantation in Mzimba, on Tuesday told Parliament that the past investigations were riddled with gaps and failed to bring closure. He said: “In view of the totality of these factors, the investigations failed to provide final closure to the aircraft accident of June 10 2024.

“I, therefore, recommended to His Excellency the President that it was necessary to carry out a fresh inquiry.” Mhango said Mutharika, who returned to State House following his triumph in the September 16 2025 General Election, has since directed that the probe be conducted through a parliamentary committee and bolstered by international aviation accident experts. The minister said the initial report by German Federal Bureau of Aircraft Accident Investigation (BFU) was inconclusive on the cause of the crash. He also questioned the integrity of the Commission of Inquiry instituted by immediate past president Lazarus Chakwera, citing the resignation of two commissioners and refusal by some potential witnesses to testify.

Mhango further described it as “surprising” the fact that the BFU’s final report partly relied on findings of that commission. The June 2025 BFU report attributed the crash to the crew’s failure to control the flight in adverse weather, citing low-altitude flying in marginal conditions, poor situational awareness and inadequate pre-flight preparation. Earlier, an interim report revealed the aircraft had no cockpit voice recorder (CVR) or flight data recorder (FDR) and that its emergency locator transmitter battery had expired in 2004.

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The Chakwera- appointed commission, chaired by High Court of Malawi Judge Jabbar Alide, ruled out foul play, but cited adverse weather and human error as the cause of the accident. The inquiry also found that the crew’s certifications were not up to date and that they flew without obtaining a weather briefing. It further said search and rescue operations were at one point suspended.

However, despite the findings, questions have persisted among family members and sections of the public. Shortly after the minister announced the President’s nod in Parliament, Chilima’s widow Mary Nkhamanyachi Chilima, who has repeatedly said the family still has unanswered questions, posted on Facebook a message of gratitude toMutharika.

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