DPP fears MCP-led coalition government may manipulate air crash report – Malawi Nyasa Times

The main opposition party, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), has expressed its dissatisfaction with the justification given by the Malawi Congress Party (MCP)-led coalition government for postponing the parliamentary debate on the crash report.

On Friday morning, the German Federal Bureau of Aircraft Accident Investigation (BFU) released its interim report on the circumstances of the tragic plane crash that claimed the lives of former Vice President Dr. Saulos Klaus Chilima and other productive citizens, including former First Lady Patricia Shanil Dzimbiri.

Regarding the wreckage and impact information, the interim report states, among other things, that the aircraft was not equipped with a cockpit voice recorder or a flight data recorder, as these recording devices are not required under the relevant aviation regulations. It also states that air traffic control in Lilongwe did not record any radar data from the two flights on the day of the accident.

The Garmin Aera 760 navigation system had recorded position data (GPS position and flight altitude over time). The BFU read out the data. In addition to the data from the accident flight, position data from flights from March 7, 2024 could also be saved. The recording of the accident flight began at 8:46:48 a.m. on the apron of the departure airport and ended at 10:16:14 a.m. in the immediate vicinity of the accident site. The “Garmin Basecamp” software was used to access the internal memory. This had saved the users' “waypoints” and “flight plans”. The diagnostic page was also analyzed. It was found that the GPS had automatically switched off about 2:45 hours after the aircraft impact (time of the accident) due to low battery power,” it says in part.

The interim report further states that radio traffic between the flight crew and the air traffic control units in Lilongwe was not recorded. Radio traffic between the flight crew and the Flight Information Service (FIS) was also not recorded.

Immediately after learning of this, opposition MPs called for the adoption of a resolution in the National Assembly to allow for a debate on the content of the report.

But the government, represented by its Minister of Transport and Public Works Jacob Hara, objected on the grounds that it was not yet too early.

Hara said MPs would be given time to discuss the matter once the BFIU submitted its final report.

But DPP spokesman Shadric Namalomba expressed concern to journalists after the deliberations that the MCP-led coalition government might manipulate the report in the meantime.

“This is a matter of national importance. We fear that they are trying to whitewash the report and thereby render it useless to Malawians who have a right to know the truth about this accident,” Namalomba said.

Meanwhile, Malawians reacted with mixed feelings to the contents of the interim report. Some suspected a crime, while the government claimed it was a natural accident.

Khumbo Bonzoe Soko, one of the country's most respected lawyers, wrote on his Facebook page shortly after the report was published that the interim report “is blatantly silent on the cause of the plane crash.”

Soko also noted that the report, however, showed an irregular flight path at different altitudes between 9:50 a.m. and 10:16 a.m., the time of impact.

“There was no 'May Day' or distress call from the crew to air traffic control. That would mean that despite the obvious challenges, they did not notice anything that should have been communicated to air traffic control. Otherwise, they would have mentioned it during their conversation with air traffic control at 10:12 a.m. The aircraft did not have a flight data recorder or cockpit voice recorder. So we will never know what conversations the crew had among themselves in the minutes before the crash. And some other performance-related data simply will not be available for further analysis.

“The plane also did not have a working 'emergency transmitter' because the battery had failed in 2004. The spare parts were apparently not available. And we had no budget for it anyway. It was clear that we should not put a Vice President on such a substandard aircraft. Curiously, the plane crashed 700 meters from a settlement. And nobody heard anything. Or reported anything. Until 24 hours later. What really happened here? Mwina tidikire the final report. So when we sat at Ralph's funeral at 10:16 am, our friend had already died. I'm still crying. SKC deserved a better ending,” Soko concluded his reaction.

Political activist Charles Govati said in his analysis that the BFU's interim report strongly supports the theory that this plane crash was not a mere accident, but a carefully orchestrated assassination attempt.

Govati said the erratic flight patterns, communication failures, lack of critical data recording equipment and controlled choice of crash site indicated a high level of planning and execution.

“The perpetrators likely had extensive insider knowledge and access to sophisticated technology, which enabled them to carry out the murder with precision and effectiveness. The combination of these factors suggests that the murder was carried out by professionals with extensive resources and expertise who aimed to avoid detection and manipulate the investigation to their advantage,” he said.

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