Malawi Defence Force (MDF) has said the military aircraft which killed former vice-president Saulos Chilima and eight others had, on the day of the accident, a seating capacity of nine despite ordinarily having 19 seats.
The MDF also said the Dornier 228 does not have technology capable of downloading log information, but instead uses a manual technical log book that was destroyed in the accident on June 10 2024 in Nthungwa Forest in Nkhata Bay.
MDF Air Force officials revealed this to Parliament’s Ad hoc Committee probing the accident when it visited Zomba Airbase yesterday to appreciate the plane wreckage and how they conduct their operations.
Aircraft technician Captain George Ng’oma said since the aircraft has multi-roles, it is reconfigured according to specific tasks such as ambulance, cargo operations and VVIP engagements.
He said by design, the plane has two sections with a VIP section at the back.
“The aircraft had gone out on a different mission to drop the remains of honourable Ralph Kasambara.
“Then it was tasked while it was out there, there was no time for the aircraft to come back here to change the configuration,” Ng’oma told the committee as he used one of the planes at the airbase for demonstration.
During a session before inspection, he briefed the committee on the types of aircraft maintenance which are recorded in a flight log book.
In case of the Donnier, he said the record book was destroyed in the accident but records of its previous flights can be accessed as every page has duplicate copies.
On his part, Captain Henry Nthani said sometimes they receive requests for the aircraft with specific details, including the dates the plane is required and the flights to be undertaken.
He said the flight plans are sent to Bakili Muluzi International Airport and Kamuzu International Airport (KIA) for coordination.
Nthani also said on every flight there is a pilot in command who assigns roles, including who will be flying the machine and who will be monitoring.
During the inspection it also transpired that the base gets weather updates from Bakili Muluzi International Airport or KIA and sometimes through online weather updates, though the standard practice is via email or phone.
At the end of the visit, the committee’s chairperson Walter Nyamilandu Manda said they now have a clear picture of how the aircraft are handled and serviced, including what both the wreckage and a working plane look like.
According to Nyamilandu, the committee is already working on the procurement of auditors to conduct forensic audits as they prepare for witness examinations.
Chilima and eight others died on June 10 2024 when the aircraft they were in crashed in Viphya Plantation on its way to Mzuzu.
