Taona Aidin struggled to hold back tears as she sat before the Commission of Inquiry, carrying the memories of a husband whose final journey ended in one of Malawi’s darkest tragedies.
The widow of late Major Wales Aidin, an aircraft engineer aboard the Malawi Defence Force aircraft that crashed in Chikangawa, broke down while recounting the final hours she spent connected to her husband before the aircraft disappeared.
Her testimony moved from a routine family life to a heartbreaking account of how she received the last messages from the man she expected to return home.
Aidin told the inquiry that her husband had always lived a life shaped by responsibility and service.
Even in the days before the tragedy, their conversations revolved around family commitments, work and his military duties.
She recalled how, before his final assignment, Major Aidin had travelled with her to their farm in Mchinji, where they spent time harvesting crops. She described those moments as part of their normal family life before events changed suddenly.
She said on the morning he left for the mission, she helped him prepare before his departure.
It was a familiar routine between a wife and a husband who had travelled many times before.
But this journey would be different.
Aidin told commissioners that their last exchanges were ordinary conversations that later became priceless memories. Her husband updated her about his movements, and she continued believing he would return safely.
When news emerged that the aircraft carrying Vice President Saulos Chilima had gone missing, she said she initially refused to believe the worst.
She held onto hope because of her husband’s experience as an aircraft engineer and his ability to handle difficult situations.
That hope slowly faded as information about the crash emerged.
The most painful moment came when Aidin described seeing pictures from the crash site and realising that one of the victims was her husband.
She broke down while explaining how she identified him through the images and later had to bury him without seeing his face because of the extent of his injuries.
The commission proceedings paused as she struggled to continue.
When she resumed, Aidin turned her attention to the unanswered questions left behind by her husband’s death.
She told commissioners that she wanted to understand his final moments and appealed for investigators to establish what communications took place before the aircraft crashed.
For a grieving wife, the inquiry is not only about an aircraft and its final flight path. It is about a husband, a father and a family searching for the final pieces of a story that ended without warning.
Major Aidin left home for duty. He never returned.
His widow now waits for answers.
The widow of late Major Wales Aidin, an aircraft engineer aboard the Malawi Defence Force aircraft that crashed in Chikangawa, broke down while recounting the final hours she spent connected to her husband before the aircraft disappeared.
Her testimony moved from a routine family life to a heartbreaking account of how she received the last messages from the man she expected to return home.
Aidin told the inquiry that her husband had always lived a life shaped by responsibility and service.
Even in the days before the tragedy, their conversations revolved around family commitments, work and his military duties.
She recalled how, before his final assignment, Major Aidin had travelled with her to their farm in Mchinji, where they spent time harvesting crops. She described those moments as part of their normal family life before events changed suddenly.
She said on the morning he left for the mission, she helped him prepare before his departure.
It was a familiar routine between a wife and a husband who had travelled many times before.
But this journey would be different.
Aidin told commissioners that their last exchanges were ordinary conversations that later became priceless memories. Her husband updated her about his movements, and she continued believing he would return safely.
When news emerged that the aircraft carrying Vice President Saulos Chilima had gone missing, she said she initially refused to believe the worst.
She held onto hope because of her husband’s experience as an aircraft engineer and his ability to handle difficult situations.
That hope slowly faded as information about the crash emerged.
The most painful moment came when Aidin described seeing pictures from the crash site and realising that one of the victims was her husband.
She broke down while explaining how she identified him through the images and later had to bury him without seeing his face because of the extent of his injuries.
The commission proceedings paused as she struggled to continue.
When she resumed, Aidin turned her attention to the unanswered questions left behind by her husband’s death.
She told commissioners that she wanted to understand his final moments and appealed for investigators to establish what communications took place before the aircraft crashed.
For a grieving wife, the inquiry is not only about an aircraft and its final flight path. It is about a husband, a father and a family searching for the final pieces of a story that ended without warning.
Major Aidin left home for duty. He never returned.
His widow now waits for answers.
