By Isaac Salima:
Political and social commentators have said the latest final report on the plane crash has addressed questions that some members of the public had.
On Saturday, the German Federal Bureau of Aircraft Accident Investigation (BFU) released findings of an investigation they had been conducting on the tragic plane accident that claimed the life of the country’s former vice president Saulos Chilima and eight others.
The report revealed that the accident was caused by human errors and bad weather conditions.
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The report is a final one following others that have been conducted since the accident happened last year.
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Renowned lawyer and commentator on social issues Sylvester Ayuba James said he believed that the report has answered pertinent questions.
“The most pertinent question was what caused the accident and I think the report has addressed that. It [the report] has analysed technical aspects and the climatic environment the aircraft was operating. There is logic in the conclusion that the report makes, based on scientific facts,” he said.
Nyika Institute Executive Director Moses Mkandawire urged the authorities to take heed of recommendations that have been made.
“In this report, we were looking at getting technical aspects of the accident. So, partly, I would say that the report has addressed critical concerns that were there. I think people have known reasons behind the crash. What we need to do is to put in place measures that will ensure that recommendations that were made are adopted,” he said.
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The report says the crew flew into areas with lower cloud coverage, indicating their intention to gain or maintain visual contact with the ground.
However, this decision, according to findings, ultimately led to the aircraft colliding with ascending terrain.
“The accident occurred because the crew flew into instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) during flight under visual flight rules (VFR) and the aircraft collided with the ascending terrain,” the report reads.
Technically, in aviation, instrument Meteorological Conditions (IMC) refer to weather conditions where pilots are required to fly primarily using instruments instead of relying on visual references.
The aircraft, a Dornier 228-202(K) military plane, hit the slope of a hill in marginal visual conditions.
The investigation has revealed that the crew was flying manually and did not use the autopilot during the low-level flight phase.
“The BFU is convinced that the pilots were unaware that the aircraft was just about to collide with the ascending terrain. This can be explained by the fact that, in the last seconds of the flight, they went into instrument meteorological conditions.
“It was not possible to determine exactly when the crew extended the flaps in position 1 (5°) and the landing gear. A possible explanation could be that flying in low visibility with flaps 1 (5°) allowed them to fly slightly slower, therefore giving more time to react and foremost, have a better visibility of the terrain ahead (Appendix 2).
“For what reasons the crew extended the landing gear could not be determined,” the report reads.
The report further says the investigators could not completely spell out why the crew made the decisions they made because the aircraft was not equipped with necessary equipment like Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) or a Flight Data Recorder (FDR).
Ben Chilima, who speaks on behalf of the Chilima family. yesterday said they were yet to fully read the contents of the report, such that they could not immediately comment on the issue.
A commission of inquiry that President Lazarus Chakwera instituted also came up with its findings, attributing the accident to human and environmental factors.
The BFU also released its preliminary findings on the plane crash.
The Malawi Defence Force, which was said to be conducting its investigations, was yet to release its findings.
Chilima and others died on June 10, 2024 and tomorrow marks exactly a year since the tragic accident happened.
The memorial event for the accident victims will be held tomorrow, with Chakwera leading the one to be held at Thungwa in Chikangawa Forest, Nkhata Bay District, which is the accident scene.
The Chilima family has also organised its activities at Nsipe in Ntcheu District
