2024 Chikangawa Dornier 228 crash

2024 Malawi aircraft disappearance

Date	10 June 2024
Site	Chikangawa Forest, Malawi
Operator	Malawian Defence Force
Flight origin	Lilongwe, Malawi
Destination	Mzuzu Airport, Malawi
Occupants	10
Missing	10

On 10 June 2024, a Malawi Defense Force aircraft carrying Malawi's Vice-President Saulos Chilima along with nine other passengers disappeared from radar, prompting a search and rescue operation.

Background

A Malawi Defense Force aircraft with Malawi's Vice-President Saulos Chilima and nine others as passengers left Lilongwe, the capital of Malawi, on Monday at 9:17 a.m. (CAT), and was planned to land in the Northern Region at Mzuzu Airport about 370 km (230 miles) away at 10:02 a.m. The flight was to attend the funeral of lawyer Ralph Kasambara, and was planned to return back to Lilongwe after the funeral.

Disappearance

In a statement made by Malawi’s Office of the President and Cabinet, the aircraft disappeared from radar shortly after taking off from Lilongwe, with aviation officials unable to contact the aircraft. The disappearance prompted a search and rescue operation for the aircraft.

Malawi's President Lazarus Chakwera cancelled a flight to the Bahamas after learning about the disappearance, and ordered a search and rescue operation.

Bad weather was present along the intended flight path, and eyewitnesses reported an aircraft crash in the Chikangawa forest area. Chilima’s phone was claimed by local news sources to have been last detected at around 10:30 a.m. (CAT).