A Zambia Air Force (ZAF) officer has died while his co-pilot sustained injuries after the ZAF helicopter crashed on landing Lusaka City Airport around 11:00 hours yesterday.
Defence Minister Geoffrey Mwamba confirmed the death of Major Misapa Mukupa who he said was pronounced dead on arrival at the University Teaching Hospital (UTH) where he was rushed after the accident.
The co-pilot Captain Kenneth Chilala sustained minor injuries and was reported to be out of danger.
Mr Mwamba said the helicopter lost control causing it to crash-land and investigations into the cause of the accident have since been instituted.
He has on behalf of the Commander of the Armed forces, President Michael Sata, on his own behalf, the entire defence force and on behalf of the Zambian people conveyed deep condolences to the family of Major Mukupa.
Mr Mwamba said the accident happened around 11:14 hours yesterday when a ZAF Z9 helicopter crashed on landing at the Airport.
“Yes it’s true we experienced an accident this morning around 11:14 hours hours where a Zambia Air Force, Z9 helicopter crashed on landing at the City Airport.
“There were two crew members and one of them sustained serious injuries and was rushed to UTH where he was pronounced dead upon arrival”. Mr Mwamba said.
He said the entire country was sudden by the death of the officer adding that Major Mukupa’s next of kin has already been informed about the tragedy.
Mr Mwamba said that an investigation has already been launched to establish the cause of the accident.
You do not even qualify to be defence minister.no wonder
@inquirer,,, spot on, thats also why these helicopters crush or crush land becuase they are never serviced or mechnically checked, No basic safety measures are taken into account ! nothing!. Fat cow GBM with a hanging stomach has no clue of defence issues.
niwe koswe. what qualification do you need to be a minister? you just have to be an MP or a friend to the president chapwa. Where does it state that you need such qualifications? Ukafwa uchulafye
“entire nation is sudden about the death”
I am always corrected in English, but that exaggeration by GBM is too much. If I translate that in Spanish, it will be a total insult on GBM’s thinking capacity.
My condolences to the family of the deceased and wish the injured a speedy and complete recovery.
Its wrong to conclude the cause of the accident merely on speculation. All accidents are caused hence the institution of investigations.
Aircraft do crash, even new ones with latest technology in design, engineering, avionics etc… have dropped from the air.
Our aviation safety record militarily or civilian is relatively good and lets strive to even do better.
It is quite sad.Mhsrip.
NOSTRA-ANUS, sometimes its important to keep your A.N.U.S. shut. Lyonse iwe ukunya. Whats wrong boy? U ve loose muscles down there.
MHSRIP
Chabipa. Please do not let fat Albert on any of those choppers, the entire aircraft can come apart. I hope this was not the case.
Chikashana nobe uleibwelamo limo imilandile.Nomba ba GBM ngabali ba fyashi bobe kuti waumfwa shani ngabalebeta ifyo ? Umuchinshi usuma.
hihihihihihihi, hehehehehhehehehhe, iyeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.
Nubian P, I hope you will hearken to Zebige’s sound advice. Basic decency demands respect for elderly people even if you don’t like them. I don’t think we are asking you for too much, are we?
Zebige and Adrian, enough with your double standards. Women are insulted here every day, you don’t say a thing about it. Now NP jokes about GBM you’re forming at the mouth. Mwandi Nubian ignore them. You just cracked me up! Burst out laughing early in the morning.What a start to a day!
Its all due to the peanut amounts GRZ spends on defence and skimping on maintenance of these obsolete military hardware.Zed has the most illequiped military in the region. MHSRIP.
Ba Sata is commander of armed forces – are we serious?
He is the commander in chief of all armed forces by viture of him being President!
Or are you trying to say Sata is commander of unarmed forces of PF cadres?
“The entire country was sudden…” ichisungu nangu tapalandwa! THE ENTIRE COUNTRY WAS SADDENED (sp)…from the word SAD, I suppose, should have been used. Anyway, yes that is sad to hear mwe. So nga ni pa Zambia ati bwanga te? Those Helicopters cross from the ZAF base at International Airport to City Airport everyday in the morning, lunch or about the same 11hrs and in the evenings. Whoever or whatever they transport kaya. Too bad ba ZAF. Work on your aircrafts.
Wow, you’re able to spell! The owners of are the language ain’t this conscious about errors.
when was the helicopter purchased?
MHSRIP ! accidents do happen, I know some of you will start accusing GBM of causing the crash.
MHSRIP…he gave the youths a colorful celebration,,, Big up!
This is the same man who said the helicopter wouldn’t crash because it was almost new. Now you have blood on your hands. Sometimes I wonder what needs to happen in our beloved country for people to realise how incompetent some of these ministers are. As a landlocked country we should be masters of the sky but this tragedy puts question marks on how well equipped our armed forces are. Accidents do happen but for this one the writing was on the wall when a similar incident occurred with journalists on board. Sad indeed and may his soul haunt those responsible until it finds eternal peace. We have leaders focused at destroying each other whilst the country bleeds to death.These leaders should be held responsible. It’s our duty as responsible citizens regardless of political affiliation.
MHSRIP
Zambia is just another world on earth, where every thing is nothing but politics. Sickness, hunger, theft, even, death. Investgation and yet some one is dead already
bring those chaps i see on national geography on air traffic investigation they will do a great job unlike our own who will never investigate or release the report.eg gabon air disaster,mongu disaster+ +
When two other Z9 helicopters crash landed last year, the who fleet should have been grounded and a commission set up to check what really is the problem with these aircrafts. However, in his usual obese ignorant way, Nsofu Mwamba claimed these crafts are new so they cannot crash or crashland. Imagine, for those who fly often, you are in a plane and all of a sudden you hear some rattling noise coming from the engine, won’t you wet your pants? No Mwamba thinks that just like a car rattling. This was a tragedy waiting to happen and Nsofu is to blame. At least it is one of their own who died, chibababe manje!
PF Government, deaths in all angles!!! what is happening kanshi
The Zhi-9 (Z-9) army utility helicopter is a licensed-built version of the Aérospatiale (now Eurocopter) AS 365N Dauphin II. The helicopter has been built by Harbin Aircraft Manufacture Company (HAMC) since the early 1980s. The Z-9 is possibly the most produced helicopter in China, with over 200 machines delivered to both military and civilian customers. The Z-9s in service with the PLA is available in three variants: army utility, naval, and attack.
Of all many things in the world, why you decide to be knowledgeable in helicopters like my 5 year old son? He even flys in the house, he has those huge remote controlled ones, he like playing with our dog (Kabimba) Nacho. I just find it childish even for 2 fathers get into helicopter, going where?? Even Sata takes helicopter from Lusaka Airport to woodlands, can’t just take taxi which is safer?
@Nostradamus, you guessed right except am just a year older than your son. My father used to buy me a lot of toys. I did not end at just playing with them but often pulled them apart to try and understand how they worked. Often times I was in trouble with him. He was forced to impart some of his engineering knowledge by explaining to me how each toy worked whenever he brought a new one. Each new toy was more technically sophisticated than the last. Sooner I would make my own toys. I also made some for my siblings. This not only saved him a great deal of money but he could also count on me to pass on his technical know-how. I would honestly find you a very boring father, or brother if you were mine. I repect your opinion coz I learnt at very tender age that one boys beef will poison another
@ Nostradamus, the point is, while others will choose to play the blame game, some will pick up an analytical spectacle and try to understand what went wrong and try to find ways it can be avoided in the future. Air travel would never be safer had it not been for the countless accidents that have happened. Many people have paid the price but many more have been saved. A heli is a versatile flying machine. Do you remember the Mozambique floods, an the heli hoisting stranded people from tree and roof-tops (One woman even gave birth in one mid-air soon after being rescued)? Remember the Japan nuclear power plant fires? While you sit down and wonder what in those toys mesmerizes your kid, and now me, he and other fathers will be wondering whose life they will be making easier next.
Too bad for major Mukupa,MHSRIP. This is an accidents and it can happen at any time to anyone.
why do they keep using very old helicopters..?
Fellow Zambian why do make silly comments we have lost a galant soldier therefore need to pray and ask the Lord to intervene.
Every day we lost people. Don’t tell me his death is so important to make the entire saddening. MHSRIP his time is over on earth .
There is nothing gallant about flying a helicopter tied with flags. In fact I call that playing and being a nuisence to people who were genuinely working or patients in homes and hospitals trying to rest. Just say a person has died not gallant
Why do you include God in things he has no hand in? Our incopentences misjudgements and all our foolishness has nothing to do with God. Learn to be good judges and you will inherit the all universe. The foolishness of destroying ourselves will make the stupid “whites” and their cohorts run our affairs even after 2030. Wake up “Blacks”
For the President I can only say Zambia made a very serious mistake to give you the vote. You have messed us up and the best you can do young man is to resign and go back home. What would you loose if you agreed with TRUTH Sir?
Those are mostly Chinese helicopters therefore should be grounded and ask the chinese engineers to establish and rectify the problems before many lives are lost.
WE DO NOT NEED CHINISE IN OUR SPHERE. WE CAN DO BETTER THAN THEM AND BETTER THAN THEIR LIKES. WE SHOULD ASK PF TO FACILLITATE US AND WE SHALL SHOW THE WHOLE UNIVERSE WHAT WE ARE MADE OF
#10 FutureZed, I like your assertion that as a landlocked country we should be masters of the sky. I add that we should aggressively develop road, rail and air transport systems. We must become a regional hub in terms of transport and distribution networks. That aside, youth unemployment; I think we should include design, painting, architecture, fashion, decor, music, sport, acting, filming e.t.c in our upcoming universities in addition to tailoring, bricklaying, auto mechanics, electrical etc taught in Trades Schools. Our curricula is limited to careers for Doctors, Engineers, Lawyers, Teachers e.t.c.
MHSRIP. Future Zed and Chindakwanda-Galileo Galilei Thumbs up guys its good to know that there are sensible people out there.
A person, a father, brother, husband has died and the only thing that people can post are insults on GBM have we become that heartless?
For your own information according to eye witness accounts the chopper blades got entangled in the flag being carried by a second chopper causing it to loose control and crash.
You will also note that those Z9 choppers are brand new.
Lets comment objectively PLEASE!!!
UNPROFESSIONAL
Audacity of indiscipline.
BUT it was just recently when the ZAF helicopter crush landed which was carrying the press aid to the President George chellah after opening a mini hydro power station in shiwangandu in northern province.am sure from there they should have learned some learning points and improve their services on their choppers, but basically looking at the Zambian side the set up is rather not good unless something bad happens that’s when we reflect on it.Failure has got no room has it can cost a life or damage to equipment.DO it Right First Time that’s the engineering term which is normally used when working on moving machinery.
When did this nonsense of flying helicopters during youth day start… can some one remind me… my be I have dementia..
Its just pilot negligence .i am sure these pilots were given jobs due to relations in zaf.we need qualified people in all sectors per zed regardless of race.tribe and religion and then see how this nation will be like southafrica in terms of progress.
my friend you don’t know wat you are talking about, Mukupa was a well Italian trained pilot. if you cant make a sober comment better not comment at all especially if its about the death of someones beloved.
It doesnt matter where these savages are trained. What happens is that even failures are given certificates of attendance. This is taken as PhD certificates by PF goverment . Its a shame ignorant service men are even getting 100 times more than UNZA or CBU dons. Shame to you illiterates. Thats why you are causing fatalities.
Iwe number one, an accident happen u want to start shooting the one who has informed the nation. You must be stupid young man. No matter what u do GBM works very hard and deserve the ministry. It matters less the defence knowledge becoz as a minister, he is not a technocrat. Do some research work before u share your little thinking with the public. In yo previous govt chap there where MP who had no qualification or money but made it even as cabinet minister. GBM has a qualification called cash mwaice. Uletwipusha fyebaile ku HAVARD where only type of pipo are admitted, brains or wealth nothing in between.
never buy chinese copters. gongas everywhere
Air craft do crash from time to time during air shows, etc.. and it can happen anywhere in the world. Here in the UK there has been such air crashes mostly involving light air craft and the two main causes are usually attributed to human error and mechanical faults.
It’s therefore unjustifiable to think that it’s only in Zambia where such accidents occur. It’s sad a precious soul has been lost.
This is very sad. It seems that ALL ZAF aircrafts are deathtraps. They are probably NEVER serviced so with wear and tear they will experience numerous problems.
MHSRIP….am devastated,this is my friend,we were together at secondary school at Hillcrest in Livingstone. RIP Kups, what a fine soldier you were!!!
UKWA at itb again! This is what happens when he comes out of hibernation. We will continue to witness these misfortunes for some time just to keep him alive. This is the second accident after the samfya one, where two people died in accident, just after UKWA resurfaced. This country is really in the hands of Satanists. Sata will finish people if he is not stopped. Zambians please let’s get on our knees, this is getting very serious!!
You don’t need a degree to know that it is Sata doing all this. All you need to understand are the basic rules of statistics and probabilities and that will be enough to explain to you. No matter how much you want to be rational with things you would still come to the same conclusion if you apply the rules very well and chose to be fair in your analysis. In…
In Probabilities, two events are related if they get to be repeated several times and follow a similar pattern in the manner they occur. Mathematical induction will also tell you that if the equation holds for n=1, for n=2, n=k, and n=k+1, then it is assumed to hold everywhere. Even in numerical analysis, it is easy to extrapolate the current misfortunes to Sata’s illness and departure for medication only to resurface when several are either about to occur or are happening. This trend is not just a mere coincidence; it is a well calculated move that Sata has been applying ever since he ascended to power. Honestly, why is it that each time Sata goes missing, then you will hear of several death upon him resurfacing? This trend has been observed for some time now. My appeal to those that…
My appeal to those that have genuinely not observed this, it that they could formulate a hypothesis with two variables, the first variable could be Sata’s medical condition and the time he goes missing and the second variable should be the occurrence of evil things such as death and accidents in the country. You can make observation for some time and I am very sure that you will come to the same conclusion as mine and your hypothesis will be turned into a theory.
Zambia is really at cross roads, we urgently and seriously need prayers otherwise at this rate there will be no people by the time this Satanist will be out of power.
My appeal to those that have genuinely not observed this, it that they could formulate a hypothesis with two variables, the first variable could be Sata’s medical condition and the time he goes missing and the second variable should be the occurrence of evil things such as death and accidents in the country. You can make observation for some time and I am very sure that you will come to the same conclusion as mine and your hypothesis will be turned into a theory.
Zambia is really at cross roads, we urgently and seriously need prayers otherwise at this rate there will be no people by the time this Satanist will be out of power.
we have a satana government lead by sata
It is okey youcan die, after all you are Bemba, who cares? God saved the Capt. Chilala because he cares for Bantustans
Do not insult our GBM, he did not cause the accident. Even here in States, where they have hi-tech, still experience these accidents. It is normal
MHSRIP,sorry that a life has been lost…these EuroCopters are quiet new and well computerized, otherwise incidents just happen, go well soldier, all the best!
DON’T EVEN WASTE TIME ON INVESTIGATING- THOSE AIRCRAFT ARE NEVER MANITAINED. NEITHER, ARE THEY CHECKED. ZAMBIA HAS SO MANY BIG LAKES. THE GOVT MUST JUST FORM UP A NAVY WHERE THEY MUST CONCENTRATE EFFORT. MAYBE RUNNING THE AIR FORCE IS JUST A BIT TOO MUCH MONETARY-WISE. THE NAVY COULD BE MORE EFFECTIVE AND CHEAPER. MOREOVER, IT CAN CREATE THOUSANDS OF JOBS FOR YOUNG ONES (THE YOUTH).
very sad indeed…..MHSRIP
It looks as though we will never learn as Zambian govt…..why on earth are they still using Z-9 Helicopters…very outdated flying machine indeed. We lost an entire national team in April 1993 including officials as a result of relying on the buffalo planes. Why can’t we learn from that, honestly lives are continually getting lost.
Secondly GBM needs a good medical check-up. He doesn’t look normal at all…gosh…this is ridiculous. I am ashamed to say the least….!