A Zimbabwean pilot is missing in Malawi after his plane crashed into Lake Malawi on Tuesday, 20 August.
Fifty-year-old Captain Fungai Majakwara is yet to be located, together with Frisco Westheim, 29, while another, a 24-year-old Dutch woman named Charlotte Lemstra, survived the crash with minor injuries. She is currently receiving treatment in the hospital after being rescued by local fishermen.
Zimbabwean Pilot Missing After Crashing Into Lake Malawi
Nyasa Express, a Malawian company, owns the Cessna C210 aircraft with registration number 7Q-PFU. The plane, typically capable of carrying six people, was travelling from Nkhotakota to Liwonde, approximately 235 kilometres south of Lilongwe, the capital of Malawi. It went down in the Nkhotakota District, about 200 kilometres northeast of Lilongwe.
Malawi’s Minister of Information & Digitalisation, Moses Kunkuyu, confirmed to Nyasa Times:
“The aircraft departed Nkhotakota Tongole at 14h00 and was supposed to land at Makhanga at 15h15. The aircraft is reported to have crashed in the northeast of Benga, and it ditched into Lake Malawi, which is close to the shores. Meanwhile, the aircraft has been sighted under the water surface, and rescue efforts are underway to pull the aircraft ashore.”
Authorities are still investigating the cause of the crash.
The Dutch survivor alleged that the pilot may have lost consciousness mid-flight. The plane plunged into the lake approximately 45 minutes before it was due to touch down.
Rescue Operation For The Aircraft Ongoing
Nyasa Express reported that a rescue operation is underway to locate the missing Zimbabwean pilot and the passenger:
“This location is the current focus of intensive search and rescue operations. The Civil Aviation authorities are actively coordinating the search and rescue operations with the assistance of Nyasa Express and other relevant agencies. Every effort is being made to locate the aircraft and those still missing as quickly as possible.”
Captain Majakwara was the managing director of Nyasa Express and an experienced pilot with a long history in the aviation industry, specialising in airline, corporate, and charter flying. His wife and three children stay in Lilongwe.