Malawi’s Vice President, Saulos Klaus Chilima, alongside nine others, including former First Lady Shanil Dzimbiri, lost their lives in a military plane crash amid adverse weather in northern Malawi on June 10, 2024.
The Dornier 228-202K aircraft, reported missing, was found completely wrecked in the Chikangawa Forest, according to President Lazarus Chakwera’s announcement at the time. The case has now been reopened.
Chilima, who was seen as a potential candidate in the 2025 presidential election, had recently returned from South Korea, where he attended the Korea-Africa summit. The crash occurred while he was heading to the funeral of Malawi’s ex-justice minister in Mzuzu. The plane left Lilongwe at 9:17 a.m., but due to low visibility, it couldn’t land at Mzuzu airport. The plane was redirected to Lilongwe but subsequently lost contact with air traffic control and disappeared from radar.
President Chakwera confirmed in a national address that the search and rescue operation had ended. “I am heartbroken to announce that this has ended in a dreadful tragedy. The search and rescue team located the aircraft near a hill, completely destroyed with no survivors,” he said. The military has begun transporting the remains of the victims back to the capital, he further confirmed.
Despite the aircraft’s established reliability and the crew’s experience, the flight to Lilongwe encountered a fatal problem leading to the crash.
“Dr. Saulos Klaus Chilima was a good man, a dedicated father and husband, a patriotic citizen who served his nation with distinction, and a formidable vice president,” Chakwera said, paying tribute.
Images shared online showed security and rescue personnel at the crash site with aircraft debris strewn around the plane’s tail section.
Chilima, 51, was previously the director of Airtel Malawi and the leader of the United Transformation Movement party. He partnered with Chakwera to form the ruling Tonse Alliance and was his running mate during their successful 2020 election campaign. However, as the 2025 presidential election approached, their relationship faced tension, with Chilima expected to challenge Chakwera.
In 2022, Chilima was arrested over corruption allegations. However, the charges were dropped when the Director of Public Prosecutions filed a notice to discontinue the case. Throughout the legal process, Chilima asserted his innocence.
President Chakwera declared a national day of mourning to honor those who died in the crash. The remains of Chilima and the other victims were transported back to Lilongwe.
International support played a crucial role in the search and rescue operations, with countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom, Israel and Norway providing specialized equipment. The U.S. Embassy in Lilongwe expressed its deep concern regarding the crash and offered all available aid, including a Defense C-12 aircraft.
The crash plunged Malawi into mourning, with many expressing their condolences. AFP news agency reports stated that Chilima was widely loved, particularly among the youth.
Chilima was survived by his wife, Mary, and their two children, Sean and Elizabeth.
Over a year and a half after the tragic crash, Malawian President Peter Mutharika ordered a new investigation into the military aircraft accident that claimed Chilima’s life. Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs Charles Mhango announced to Parliament in February 2026 that previous reports had failed to adequately address critical questions about the June 2024 crash, necessitating a fresh inquiry.
The original investigation by the German Federal Bureau of Aircraft Accident Investigation, released in May 2025, concluded that poor visibility caused the Dornier 228-202(K) aircraft to collide with rising terrain, leaving no chance of survival. A separate commission established by then-President Lazarus Chakwera similarly found no evidence of foul play, attributing the crash to human and environmental factors. However, both findings left many Malawians unsatisfied.
In late March 2026, Parliament moved to act on Mutharika’s directive. Speaker Sameer Suleman appointed a 13-member Parliamentary Ad Hoc Committee drawn from across the political spectrum, chaired by Walter Nyamilandu Manda. The formation was not without friction — the Malawi Congress Party initially withdrew from the process over impartiality concerns before rejoining following negotiations brokered by the Speaker. The committee is expected to operate for 90 days before presenting its findings to Parliament.
By late April 2026, the committee had completed its preparatory phase — drafting terms of reference, defining the scope of the inquiry, and developing a structured investigative roadmap. Full-scale investigations are set to begin by mid-May 2026, with the probe running three parallel tracks: a health, safety, security, and environmental audit; a forensic audit; and autopsy and post-mortem examinations — the latter of which will require the exhumation of all nine victims, as no post-mortem examinations were conducted when the bodies were recovered in June 2024. Forensic specialists have noted that the extended delay may limit what investigators can learn, as decomposition and embalming could reduce the reliability of toxicological tests and soft-tissue analysis.
The committee expects to hear from over 150 witnesses and has called on the public to come forward with any relevant information.
“The Parliamentary Ad Hoc Committee established to conduct a fresh inquiry into the Chikangawa Plane Crash has successfully concluded its preparatory work and is now ready to commence investigations,” committee chairperson Walter Nyamilandu Manda said. He pledged the process would be carried out with fairness, professionalism, and transparency. Chilima’s United Transformation Movement party has welcomed the new inquiry, as have many Malawians who have long demanded definitive answers about the crash that shook the nation nearly two years ago.
