Malawi’s vice president, Saulos Chilima, was among 10 people killed when a small military plane crashed in a mountainous region in the north of the country, the the president said Tuesday. Chilima was 51.
President Lazarus Chakwera announced in a live address on state television that the wreckage of the plane had been located after a search of more than a day in thick forests and hilly terrain near the northern city of Mzuzu. Chakwera said there were no survivors of the crash.
Nope, don’t fly in any aircraft more than twenty years old in a developing country in bad weather.
Conspiracy theories can be fun, that doesn’t make them truthy though.
Questionable pilot training and aircraft maintenance on old aircraft in adverse conditions.
I have piloted junk where the Pilot in Command said ‘take over’. Look at the instruments, ‘hmm, altimeter, variometer, artificial horizon, compass are FUBAR’ , 'how am I navigating? ‘Watch the hills, here’s my phone, I use google maps’.
WTF. Where?
Honduras.
Initially the pilot seemed fine (for central america at least). Then he started nodding off and asked me if I could fly. My partner at the time dug a bottle of rum out of her bag and asked if we were going to die.
When I found the airport with a few jets on the ground I buzzed it because the radio worked intermittently.
It was kinda fun, my first landing. The pilot was still out when some unhappy looking people with sidearms showed up. There were three other passengers (I didn’t know them) they also didn’t seem very happy. I thought I did pretty good, no fire, nothing broken that wasn’t broken previously.
Makes for a good story years later, but if the aircraft looks like it’s in worse shape than an '87 Hyundai my advice is to not fly in it.
Incredible. Thank you!