A Routine Flight Gone Awry
On the crisp morning of October 19th, a French Air Force Douglas C-47 plane which had arrived from Paris, departed Chileka Airport in Blantyre, Nyasaland, at 08:30 AM. It was heading to Arivonimamo Airport in Madagascar. Minutes after takeoff, routine communication between the aircraft and the air traffic control tower ceased abruptly. This unexpected silence immediately initiated a comprehensive search and rescue operation.
Barely three months after Dr Kamuzu Banda arrived to lead the struggle for independence of Nyasaland after spending 40 years abroad, an air tragedy occurred in Nyasaland on Sunday the 19th of October 1958 in Chiradzulo district.
All six people on board were killed when a two-engined French Air Force plane called Douglas crashed into the slopes of Chiradzulo Mountain (5,000 ft high) near the top a few minutes after departing Chileka Airport in Blantyre.
A Concerted Search Effort
Coordinating the rescue response were French Consul M. Bobilier and Assistant Commissioner Peter Long of the Nyasaland Police. A search party comprised of police personnel, medical professionals, government administrators, forestry workers, and local villagers from the surrounding Chiradzulo district was immediately assembled.
The efforts by the rescue mission were heavily hampered by the drenching rains and the slippery slopes with nothing to hold on to and no firm foot hold which put the rescuers themselves at a huge risk as they were slipping and sliding along while hauling the dead bodies to the mountain top and then down the slopes on stretchers.
A Grim Discovery and Perilous Recovery
The search party’s arduous trek culminated in a heartbreaking discovery. The wreckage of the Douglas C-47 lay mangled, precariously lodged against a large tree on the mountainside, a testament to the severity of the crash. Sadly, all six individuals on board – Lieutenant Jacques Laguibre (pilot), Captain Georges Mercier (navigator), and their passengers, Messrs. Georges Moraud, Bernard Mereau, Louis Coundray, and Georges Babyle – perished in the accident.
Undeterred by the treacherous conditions and relentless rain, the rescue team embarked on the perilous task of recovering the remains. With remarkable courage and determination, they navigated the precarious slopes, retrieving the bodies and transporting them down the mountain using makeshift stretchers.
A Solemn Farewell and Enduring Questions
On October 21st, a memorial service was held at Chileka Airport officiated by a Catholic priest. A guard of honour was also conducted by the officers from the King’s African Rifles (KAR). Present at the memorial service were representatives of the French Consulate in Southern Rhodesia and the French Consul in Nyasaland Major M. Bobilier, the Mayor of Blantyre/Limbe Mr. A. Conn and the Provincial Commissioner (South) Major P. Nicholson who represented the Governor of Nyasaland, Sir Robert Armitage. The remains of the deceased were flown to Madagascar on a second French Air Force Douglas C-47, which had arrived with a team of investigators to probe the cause of the crash.
The details surrounding the cause of the accident remain unclear. While official reports have not been made public, potential contributing factors include pilot error or mechanical failure.
A Lasting Impact
The Chiradzulo plane crash of October 1958 serves as a stark reminder of the vulnerabilities of air travel and the human cost of such tragedies. The scrap material from the plane was sold to a company called Northern Scrap Metal & Co. The memory of this event and its victims endures.
#Lost History Foundation (2024)