Malawi Vice President Killed in Aircraft Crash Near Mzuzu (MAF-T03)

Flight Operations and Timeline on the Day of the Accident A flight crew arrived at Mzuzu Airport at 0600 hrs with the plan to fly to Lilongwe-Kamuzu Airport to pick up the Vice President of the Republic of Malawi and five other passengers, then return to Mzuzu. GPS data indicated that the airplane took off from runway 35 at 0704 hrs and turned south during the climb one minute later. The controller at Lilongwe-Kamuzu Airport reported receiving a telephone call from the Flight Information Officer at Mzuzu Airport shortly after take-off, stating that the airplane was expected to reach waypoint NALSA at 0731 hrs and land at Lilongwe-Kamuzu at 0748 hrs. At 0728 hrs, while at Flight Level 100, the flight crew reported on the Lilongwe Approach frequency that three crew members were on board and that fuel was available for a flight time of 02:30 hours. They estimated arrival at waypoint NALSA at 0732 hrs and landing at 0748 hrs. The controller issued clearances for a direct flight to the Non-Directional Beacon KG and an ILS approach to runway 14, and provided weather information. At 0750 hrs, the airplane turned onto the final approach for runway 14, landed two minutes later, and taxied to parking position 5. The aircraft was refueled for the return flight to Mzuzu and a later planned return flight. The co-pilot had filed a flight plan for the flight to Mzuzu with the Crew Briefing Office of Lilongwe-Kamuzu Airport, estimating the flight time to the arrival aerodrome at 00:50 hours and a maximum flight time of 04:00 hours. At 0905 hrs, the co-pilot requested departure information via radio, and three minutes later requested engine start-up clearance. The controller provided an en-route clearance for a direct flight to Mzuzu at FL90 and a departure clearance at 0912 hrs, along with transponder code 2772. At 0916 hrs, the airplane took off from runway 14 with three crew members and six passengers on board. The controller stated that the radar target appeared on the monitor when the aircraft reached about 4,800 ft AMSL. At 0917 hrs, during the climb, the airplane began a left-hand turn, which ended in a northern direction two minutes later. The flight crew received a climb clearance to FL90 but later requested to maintain 7,000 ft AMSL. GPS data showed that at about 0923 hrs, the airplane reached a cruise level of about 7,300 ft (GPS altitude). About one minute later, it passed the border of the airport control zone. The flight crew informed the controller that they would reach reporting point NALSA at 0932 hrs and the destination airport at approximately 1005 hrs. The controller relayed this information by phone to the Flight Information Officer at Mzuzu Airport. At 0930 hrs, the controller cleared the flight crew to change frequency to 118.1 MHz. Due to the low altitude, there was no radar contact at that time. According to GPS data, the airplane was flying north and at 0932 hrs was 3 NM west of waypoint NALSA at about 7,500 ft. At 0937 hrs, it began to climb and reached about 8,600 ft within three minutes. At 0944 hrs, the airplane entered descent. At 0950 hrs, at about 1.5 NM north-west of the village Fumbawowa, it began to deviate. At 0952 hrs, during a left-hand turn at about 5,500 ft, the airplane began to climb again. With a track of about 150°, the left-hand turn ended and the airplane turned right in a western direction, reaching 8,100 ft at 0955 hrs before beginning to descend again. At 0956 hrs, the aircraft flew a full left-hand turn, continued in a south-western direction, and at 0958 hrs passed the settlement Bokosi Kunga. One minute later, it began to turn right and reached an eastern heading within one minute, then turned to a northeastern heading. Altitude decreased to about 5,400 ft (about 460 ft AGL). Approximately 2 NM south of a wood industry plant, the airplane turned left in climb to the north. Between 1006 hrs and 1009 hrs, about 3 NM north-west of Chikangawa City, the aircraft flew two full left turns with a radius of about 600 m, while between 500 ft and 200 ft AGL. From 1009 hrs onward, the airplane continued with various headings in a northeastern direction, descended to 185 ft AGL, and then began to climb again. At 1012 hrs, it was about 25 NM south-west of Mzuzu Airport at about 7,000 ft (about 1,500 ft AGL). Two minutes later, it reached about 2,200 ft AGL, then turned north and descended again. At 1015 hrs, it turned left in a north-western direction. Finally, it had a track of about 284° and at 1016 hrs impacted the ground. All nine occupants suffered fatal injuries, and the airplane was destroyed. After a one-day search, the accident site was found. The Flight Information Officer at Mzuzu Airport stated that bad weather prevailed at the airport and continued to deteriorate. Since the flight crew had not reported in by 0950 hrs, he contacted them by radio. Five minutes later, he tried again, but both attempts failed. At 1005 hrs, he called the Lilongwe Area Control Center to confirm the estimated arrival time of the airplane. At 1012 hrs, the flight crew reported in on the Mzuzu Tower frequency, stating they were 20 NM away and intended an approach from the north. The Flight Information Officer communicated weather information and that runway 17 was in use. He also informed them that visibility east, south, and west of the airport was about 5 km. The flight crew wanted to fly towards Ekwendeni to see if the weather conditions were better there. At 1017 hrs, he contacted the flight crew by radio to find out their altitude, but received no answer, as with later attempts. Among the passengers was Dr. Saulos Klaus Chilima, Vice President of the Republic of Malawi.