MALAWI: United Transformation Movement To Respond On Final Report Of Plane Crash That Killed Chilima

By Smile Hamilton, Malawi

The United Transformation Movement (UTM), has said it will comment at a later stage on the final report regarding the plane crash that claimed the life of its party president and Malawi’s Vice President, Saulos Klaus Chilima.

This follows the release of the final investigative report by the German Federal Bureau of Aircraft Accident Investigation (BFU), which was tasked with probing the cause of the tragic crash that occurred in June 2024.

According to the report, one of the major causes of the accident was poor situational awareness on the part of the pilots.

The investigation revealed that the flight crew lacked real-time information about weather conditions and terrain and were not adequately prepared or trained for such challenging flying environments.

The report also disclosed that there was a failure in flight planning, particularly regarding navigation through mountainous terrain under poor visibility.

It further highlighted communication lapses between the pilots and air traffic control during the critical moments of the flight.

However, speaking to African Culture TV, UTM spokesperson Felix Njawala said the party has thoroughly reviewed the findings in the report and will issue its official response after internal consultations.

“We have read the report in detail, and we will issue a statement from our side in due course,” said Njawala.

The tragic crash shocked the nation and led to a period of mourning, as Chilima was widely regarded as a transformative and visionary leader.