Malawi-Investigations into the military aircraft crash that claimed the life of Malawi’s Vice President Saulos Klaus Chilima and nine others have revealed pilot negligence as the primary cause of the accident, Malawi Nyasa Times has reported.

According to a new international investigation, the Dornier 228-202(K) military aircraft operated by the Malawi Defence Force went down on June 11, 2024, after the flight crew opted to continue flying under visual flight rules despite deteriorating weather conditions.

This critical misjudgment led the aircraft to crash in a forested mountainous area in the north of the country.

The plane had departed from the capital, Lilongwe, en route to Mzuzu Airport. However, poor visibility caused by bad weather made landing impossible.

Air traffic controllers reportedly advised the crew to return to Lilongwe, but instead of turning back promptly, the crew persisted under risky conditions.

The investigation found that the decision to rely on visual navigation in unsafe weather ultimately led to the fatal crash.

All ten individuals on board, including Vice President Chilima, were killed.