By GRACE CHAILE LESOETSA
NINE years after their son’s death in a ZAF plane crash, parents of Lieutenant Kawa[1]za Tembo have sued the State demanding K10 Million as compensation for loss of expectation of life. According to documents filed in the Lu[1]saka High Court, Mr Nicholas Tembo and Ms Mwenya Lwando state that their son (Kawaza) died in a Zambia Air Force (ZAF) plane crash on September 10, 2013, during the flight training in Livingstone ZAF base. They state that Kwaza was aged 23 at the time of his death. Mr Tembo states that following the death of their son, ZAF set up a board to investigate the cause of death and issue a detailed report to that effect. They allege that a year after his death, the board issued the report, but the family were denied access to it until 2021. They claim that they were only allowed to read through the report. The report stated that Kawaza died on a solo flight while flying SF 260 TW aircraft during a general handling mission training and he was cleared by his instructor to undertake the same. It stated that the deceased was the best student pilots in flying capabilities. According to the report the aircraft stalled in the air and crash landed. “The weather on the material day was hazy and visibility was significantly re[1]duced to 8000m and the temperature was high at 35 degree Celsius making the air[1]craft handling a challenge and not condu[1]cive for solo flights” read the findings. Mr Tembo said the report also indicat[1]ed that the ‘G’ strap on the pilot seat which needed assistance by a technician to plug on the said aircraft was not plugged in; this meant that Kawaza was not assisted to plug the strap. “That the late deceased‘s named in[1]structor did not attend the morning pre[1]flight brief but proceed to authorise the deceased to undertake a solo flight despite the topic of the pre-flight brief having little relevance with solo flights,” he stated. They believe that the death of their late son was caused by the State’s breach of statutory duty and the negligenc
Author
