Former Zomba Air Base Operations and Training Officer Captain Henry Nthani has delivered one of the strongest and most emotionally charged assessments yet of the military aircraft crash that killed Vice President Saulos Klaus Chilima and eight others on 10 June 2024, telling a parliamentary ad hoc committee that the disaster was "a very unavoidable fatal accident."
His testimony goes beyond simply recounting what may have happened in the skies above Chikangawa Forest. It paints a picture of experienced pilots battling impossible conditions, making split-second decisions that may have prevented an even more horrific outcome, while exposing deeper concerns about Malawi's aviation infrastructure, aging equipment and limited investigative capabilities.
"It was a very unavoidable fatal accident," Captain Nthani told the committee, insisting that the crew possessed the skills and professionalism required to fly the aircraft but ultimately faced circumstances beyond human control.
Weather, Not Incompetence
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Rejecting suggestions that pilot error or incompetence caused the crash, Nthani defended the crew, particularly the late Colonel Sambalopa, whom he described as a highly capable aviator with whom he had flown on numerous occasions.
According to him, severe weather can place pilots in situations where maintaining control of an aircraft becomes extraordinarily difficult despite years of training and experience.
"Sometimes pilots encounter extremely bad weather that makes an aircraft difficult to control, even though they apply all their professional expertise," he explained. "I believe they managed the situation as best as possible."
He stressed that the final decision to continue or abort a flight rests with the pilot based on the conditions encountered and the information available at the time.
Why Didn't the Plane Burst Into Flames?
Perhaps the most striking part of Nthani's testimony came when lawmakers questioned why the Dornier 228 did not explode despite carrying fuel.
His answer offered a dramatic theory.
He said pilots are trained that, in the event a crash becomes inevitable, they should switch off the aircraft's master electrical switch to eliminate power and significantly reduce the likelihood of ignition on impact.
In his personal assessment, he believes the crew may have deliberately shut down the master switch moments before impact.
"They may have switched off the master switch so that they die with dignity," he said, adding that such action could explain why the aircraft did not erupt into flames and why the victims' bodies remained recoverable.
Going even further, Nthani argued that the pilots deserved recognition rather than blame.
"The crew that operated the Dornier aircraft should have been given medals because the plane did not explode and the bodies were found."
His remarks suggest he views the pilots' final actions as potentially saving the victims' remains from complete destruction, although he acknowledged that without cockpit recordings, certainty may never be possible.
The Mystery That May Never Be Solved
Nthani highlighted one critical limitation confronting investigators: the aircraft lacked a cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder -- commonly known as a "black box."
Without those devices, investigators cannot reconstruct the final conversations between the pilots or examine key flight parameters during the aircraft's last moments.
As a result, what transpired inside the cockpit in the seconds leading to the crash may never be known with precision.
"The exact events in the cockpit may never be fully established," he indicated, pointing to the absence of recording equipment.
A Strong Vote of Confidence in the Dornier 228
Despite the fatal accident, Nthani strongly defended the aircraft model itself.
Having accumulated more than 400 flying hours on the Dornier 228, he described it as one of the safest, fastest and most stable aircraft he had ever flown.
He testified that he had never encountered mechanical problems while operating the aircraft and revealed that his last experience flying it was between 1 and 16 March 2024 during official travel involving former President Lazarus Chakwera, Colonel Sambalopa and other Air Force personnel.
His evidence suggests that, in his opinion, the crash should not automatically be interpreted as proof of systemic flaws in the aircraft's design or reliability.
"Landing at Kamuzu Is Like Landing in the Bush"
Nthani also used his appearance before Parliament to launch a blistering criticism of Malawi's aviation infrastructure.
He lamented what he described as the country's failure to prioritise major development projects and called on authorities to invest in modern aircraft and improved airport facilities.
In one memorable remark, he compared arriving at Kamuzu International Airport to landing in undeveloped terrain.
"When you come from other countries and land at Kamuzu International Airport, it feels like you are landing in the bush," he said, using the comparison to underscore what he believes is the urgent need for significant upgrades.
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He urged government leaders to procure newer aircraft and modernise aviation infrastructure to improve safety and national capacity.
Beyond One Crash: A National Wake-Up Call
While Captain Nthani's testimony portrays the June 10 tragedy as an unavoidable accident brought on by extreme circumstances rather than pilot negligence, it also raises uncomfortable questions.
If the country's official aircraft operate without black boxes capable of preserving crucial evidence, and if aviation infrastructure is perceived by experienced professionals as lagging behind international standards, then the implications extend far beyond one fatal flight.
His evidence ultimately reframes the national conversation: the Chikangawa disaster may have been unavoidable in the cockpit, but the broader challenge of investing in safer aviation systems and modern infrastructure remains firmly within the country's control.
For a nation still mourning the loss of Vice President Chilima and the other victims, Captain Nthani's testimony offers both a defence of the crew's professionalism and a stark warning that preventing future tragedies may require far more than finding fault with the pilots who were at the controls.
