Parliament’s ad hoc committee yesterday opened its inquiry into the June 2024 military plane crash that killed former vice-president Saulos Chilima and eight others with a hint that it is targeting “gray areas”.
The committee started the probe with a visit to Kamuzu International Airport (KIA) in Lilongwe yesterday where the Malawi Defence Force (MDF) Dornier aircraft took off on June 10 2024 for Mzuzu Airport but did not reach its destination as it crashed in Viphya Plantation.
airport officer. | Wycliffe Njiragoma
Committee chairperson Walter Nyamilandu Manda said the inquiry had deliberately adopted a different approach aimed at uncovering fresh information before witnesses are summoned.
“People should expect us to do a thorough job. We’re going to dig deeper to try and answer questions and fill some of the gaps,” he said.
Nyamilandu said the committee intentionally started with technical inspections and site visits to strengthen its understanding of aviation systems before beginning witness hearings.
“We don’t want to confront witnesses without any new information because they will give us the same information and feedback that was there,” he said.
“There are certain areas that are gray. There are some inconsistencies, some irregularities where things are not making any sense and we’ll be probing those matters.”
The committee chair also dismissed concerns that the investigators lacked the technical expertise required to investigate such a complex aviation matter, saying they have “beefed up the secretariat to give us technical advice on how to approach matters”.
Yesterday, the committee first held sessions in the Airport Development Limited (ADL) boardroom where officials from ADL, the Department of Civil Aviation, the Civil Aviation Authority and Lilongwe Handling Company briefed investigators on their mandates and operational responsibilities.
Proceedings later shifted to the airport’s Air Traffic Control Tower, where investigators were briefed at the section where pilots file flight plans before departure, indicating the inquiry had moved beyond administrative briefings into a reconstruction of the flight’s operational timeline.
ADL public relations officer Wezi Gondwe Lawrence said the airport visit brought together all key institutions involved in airport operations to help investigators understand procedures surrounding aircraft movement.
Previous investigations, including technical assessments involving aircraft manufacturers from Germany, largely attributed the crash to adverse weather conditions and operational factors.
The committee continues its programme today with visits to Nthungwa Forest crash site in Nkhata Bay and Mzuzu Airport before proceeding to Cobbe Barracks in Zomba later in the week.
