The widow of the late Major Wales Aidin has told the Commission of Inquiry into the Chikangawa plane crash that she remains unconvinced by the official explanation of the tragedy, saying she believes there is an equal possibility that the crash was either a genuine accident or deliberately caused.
Appearing before the commission, Taona Aidin recounted the final days she spent with her husband, an aircraft engineer aboard the Malawi Defence Force aircraft that crashed on June 10, 2024, killing Vice President Saulos Chilima and eight others.
She said Major Aidin had initially been preparing for a deployment to the Democratic Republic of Congo before learning that he had been removed from the mission by military headquarters, a decision that left him disappointed because of the financial benefits attached to the assignment.
According to her testimony, her husband later received a last-minute assignment to transport the remains of former Attorney General Ralph Kasambara before being instructed that the same aircraft would collect the Vice President from Lilongwe the following morning.
She said they remained in contact throughout the journey. While in Mzuzu on June 9, Major Aidin informed her that poor weather had affected their flight but later reassured her that conditions had improved on the morning of June 10.
Their last exchange came shortly after 9:30 a.m. when he texted her saying they were en route to Mzuzu. When she later tried to contact him, her messages went unanswered before news began circulating on social media that the aircraft carrying the Vice President had disappeared.
Aidin broke down in tears as she described how she eventually recognised her husband’s body through photographs circulating online before the official recovery operation had concluded. She told the commission that she never viewed his face because of the severity of his injuries during burial.
She also questioned why investigators had not disclosed her husband’s final communications, saying he was an experienced aircraft engineer whose last moments could provide crucial information about what happened aboard the aircraft.
Although she acknowledged that her husband had never complained about faults with Malawi Defence Force aircraft, she expressed reservations about the conclusions reached by foreign investigators.
“Personally, in my thinking, it’s 50-50 that it was a real accident or that it was caused,” she told the commission. “The German investigators kept saying ‘we assume’. There were assumptions, not certainty.”
Her testimony adds a fresh dimension to the inquiry as commissioners continue hearing evidence aimed at establishing the circumstances surrounding one of Malawi’s deadliest aviation tragedies.
Appearing before the commission, Taona Aidin recounted the final days she spent with her husband, an aircraft engineer aboard the Malawi Defence Force aircraft that crashed on June 10, 2024, killing Vice President Saulos Chilima and eight others.
She said Major Aidin had initially been preparing for a deployment to the Democratic Republic of Congo before learning that he had been removed from the mission by military headquarters, a decision that left him disappointed because of the financial benefits attached to the assignment.
According to her testimony, her husband later received a last-minute assignment to transport the remains of former Attorney General Ralph Kasambara before being instructed that the same aircraft would collect the Vice President from Lilongwe the following morning.
She said they remained in contact throughout the journey. While in Mzuzu on June 9, Major Aidin informed her that poor weather had affected their flight but later reassured her that conditions had improved on the morning of June 10.
Their last exchange came shortly after 9:30 a.m. when he texted her saying they were en route to Mzuzu. When she later tried to contact him, her messages went unanswered before news began circulating on social media that the aircraft carrying the Vice President had disappeared.
Aidin broke down in tears as she described how she eventually recognised her husband’s body through photographs circulating online before the official recovery operation had concluded. She told the commission that she never viewed his face because of the severity of his injuries during burial.
She also questioned why investigators had not disclosed her husband’s final communications, saying he was an experienced aircraft engineer whose last moments could provide crucial information about what happened aboard the aircraft.
Although she acknowledged that her husband had never complained about faults with Malawi Defence Force aircraft, she expressed reservations about the conclusions reached by foreign investigators.
“Personally, in my thinking, it’s 50-50 that it was a real accident or that it was caused,” she told the commission. “The German investigators kept saying ‘we assume’. There were assumptions, not certainty.”
Her testimony adds a fresh dimension to the inquiry as commissioners continue hearing evidence aimed at establishing the circumstances surrounding one of Malawi’s deadliest aviation tragedies.
