On 10 June 2024, a Malawi Defence Force Dornier 228 carrying Vice-President of Malawi Saulos Chilima and nine other occupants crashed in Chikangawa Forest Reserve in Mzimba District, killing all on board.
The aircraft involved was a Dornier 228 which belonged to the Malawi Army Air Wing of the Malawi Defence Force. It had previously been used to transport President Lazarus Chakwera several times and had flown its penultimate flight hours before the crash.
Yhe aircraft, carrying Vice-President Saulos Chilima, former First Lady Patricia Shanil Muluzi, and eight other occupants, including members of Chilima’s staff and security detail and three military crew, left Kamuzu International Airport in the capital Lilongwe at 9:17 a.m. CAT, and was scheduled to arrive at Mzuzu Airport in the Northern Region, about 370 kilometres (230 mi) away, at 10:02 a.m. The passengers were on their way to attend the funeral of former government minister Ralph Kasambara, and were to return to Lilongwe afterward.
According to a statement made by the Office of the President and Cabinet, the aircraft disappeared from radar shortly after taking off from Lilongwe, with aviation officials unable to contact the aircraft. The disappearance prompted a search and rescue operation to locate the aircraft. It was meant to land at the airport in the northern city of Mzuzu, but was turned back because of poor visibility.
Poor weather conditions prevailed along the intended flight path, and eyewitnesses reported an aircraft crash in the Chikangawa Forest area. Chilima’s phone was claimed by local news sources to have been last detected at around 10:30 a.m. Authorities said that the aircraft had turned back from Mzuzu due to poor visibility.
The wreckage of the aircraft was found by Malawi Defence Force soldiers in Chikangawa Forest on 11 June. No survivors were found. Authorities described the aircraft as “completely destroyed”, with its occupants believed to have been killed on impact.
President Lazarus Chakwera cancelled a visit to the Bahamas after learning about the disappearance from Malawi Defence Force chief General Valentino Phiri, and ordered a search and rescue operation. He also called for prayers for the missing and their families. The United States, the United Kingdom, Norway and Israel offered assistance and provided “specialized technologies”, with the US embassy offering the use of a C-12 aircraft from the Department of Defense. The Malawian government also asked for assistance from neighbouring Zambia and Tanzania.
Chakwera said he was “deeply saddened and sorry” over the disaster and praised Chilima, describing him as a “formidable VP”. He added that the bodies of the victims were being transported to Lilongwe.
Chilima’s political party, the United Transformation Movement, accused authorities of a slow response to the disaster and said that the aircraft did not carry a transponder.