Malawi: Chikangawa Plane Crash Inquiry Hears Conflicting Visibility Reports

A former weather station chief testified before a parliamentary inquiry into the Chikangawa plane crash that killed Vice-President Saulos Chilima and eight others, suggesting the aircraft could have landed safely at Mzuzu Airport on June 10, 2024. Olive Chavunguma, who served at the former Mzuzu Climate Change and Meteorological Station, stated that her station recorded visibility of eight kilometers, which she claimed would have been sufficient for a pilot to land the plane.

While acknowledging that the weather was generally overcast with drizzles and fog, Chavunguma emphasized that visibility had improved by the afternoon and would only have warranted a special weather report if it had further improved or worsened. She cautioned against attributing the crash solely to bad weather and stressed that terrain, elevation, and atmospheric conditions could vary significantly even within the same region.

The inquiry also heard that the Federal Bureau of Aircraft Accident Investigation (BFU) reported visibility of less than eight kilometers, a discrepancy Chavunguma attributed to their separate assessment. The BFU concluded that the crash resulted from a collision with terrain following adverse weather, alleging that Malawi's Department of Meteorological Services failed to provide meteorological information for the planned flight route, breaching International Civil Aviation Organisation standards.

President Mutharika subsequently ordered a fresh inquiry following gaps identified in both the BFU report and a previous commission of inquiry.