…..Will the dead defend themselves in the inquiry?

Malawi Defence Force (MDF) has told a parliamentary ad-hoc committee investigating the June 10, 2024 plane crash that killed former Vice President Saulos Chilima and eight others that responsibility for the fatal flight lay with the pilots, saying they had full authority to abort the mission if weather conditions became dangerous.

The flight crew on board the ill-fated aircraft included pilot Colonel Mac Jones Sambalopa, co-pilot Major Flora Selemani (Ngwirinji), and Major Aidin.

Zomba Air Base Commander Colonel Alex Mwachande said military aviation procedures give flight crews the final decision on whether to continue or stop a mission, especially in cases of extreme weather.

He said the system is designed to allow “decentralised execution,” meaning operational decisions are made by those in the air rather than command structures on the ground.

“That is why it is decentralised execution. It is done in such a way that those doing the operation must have the freedom to make decisions depending on the situation on the ground. So that decision was solely on those who were executing the mission,” said Mwachande.

His testimony effectively placed responsibility on the flight crew for the decisions made during the ill-fated journey.

The parliamentary inquiry is examining circumstances surrounding the crash in the Viphya Plantations that claimed all 10 lives on board.

Mwachande also told the committee that the aircraft had been used a day earlier, on June 9, 2024, to transport the remains of lawyer Ralph Kasambara from Chileka International Airport to Mzuzu after undergoing maintenance checks at Zomba Air Base.

He said the aircraft departed Chileka at 4pm and arrived in Mzuzu at 5:32pm, adding that the crew later reported encountering severe bad weather during landing.

On the night of June 9, he received a request for the same aircraft to ferry the Vice President from Kamuzu International Airport to Mzuzu.

Due to limited availability, the aircraft was assigned for the mission.

The flight eventually departed Kamuzu International Airport on June 10 at 9:17am but failed to reach Mzuzu as scheduled.

Committee members questioned whether warnings about poor weather were communicated to the Office of the Vice President.

Mwachande said the information remained internal and was not relayed externally.

He also told the committee that the aircraft had been declared fit for operations after maintenance checks, though he acknowledged it had previously developed a fault that was later fixed.

The investigation continues into the crash that killed Saulos Chilima and eight others.