HARARE – A Zimbabwean pilot, Captain Fungai Majakwara (50), tragically lost his life in Malawi after his plane crashed into Lake Malawi, resulting in the deaths of both him and one passenger, while another passenger sustained injuries and was hospitalized.
The bodies of Captain Majakwara and the deceased passenger were discovered on Wednesday, a day after the privately-owned Cessna C210 aircraft went down in Malawi’s Nkhotakota District, approximately 200km northeast of the capital, Lilongwe. The District Commissioner for Nkhotakota, Mr. Ben Matengeni Tonho, confirmed the recovery.
The aircraft, with registration number 7QPFU, belonged to Nyasa Express, a Malawian company where Captain Majakwara served as managing director. The plane, which typically carries up to six people, was on a flight from Nkhotakota to Liwonde with two passengers onboard.
Among the passengers was a 24-year-old Dutch woman, Ms. Charlotte Lemstra, who was rescued by local fishermen and is currently receiving treatment for minor injuries at a hospital. The cause of the crash is still under investigation, but preliminary reports from the survivor indicate that the pilot may have lost consciousness mid-air.
The search and recovery operation, supported by local fishermen and community members, led to the discovery of the wreckage and the bodies. Mr. Matengeni stated, “We mobilized the support of locals and fishermen, and through their efforts, we managed to retrieve the bodies and the wreckage. The bodies have since been taken to a district hospital mortuary.”
The crash occurred just 45 minutes before the plane was scheduled to land. Lake Malawi, the third-largest lake in Africa, spans approximately 580 kilometers and covers more than half the length of the country.
This incident comes shortly after another aviation tragedy in Malawi on June 10, which claimed the lives of the country’s Vice President, Saulosi Klaus Chilima, and eight others. Investigations into that crash are still ongoing.
Captain Majakwara, an experienced pilot with a background in airline, corporate, and charter flying, leaves behind a wife and three children. His family is based in Lilongwe.
The Nyasa Times, a Malawian daily publication, reported on the crash, stating that the aircraft departed from Tongole Airfield in Nkhotakota Game Reserve on Tuesday at 2:06 PM, en route to Liwonde National Park. The last satellite position of the plane placed it approximately 70 kilometers south of Nkhotakota, near the shoreline of Lake Malawi.