Plane crashes on golf course

Light aero-pain: A fire and rescue department personnel looking at the Piper Warrior aircraft that crashed on a golf course in Kulai, Johor.

KULAI: Merely days after a light aircraft crashed into the sea near Pangkor, another plane has cr­ash-landed on a golf course here.

Coincidentally, both were flown by Singaporeans.

In the latest incident yesterday, the pilot of a Piper Warrior PA 28, who is in his 30s, had to carry out an emergency landing after experiencing engine failure during flight training at 1pm.

It is learnt that he had earlier taken off from Senai International Airport in the aircraft, believed to be owned by a flying club in Senai.

An Indonesian worker, known only as Zainuddin, 35, said he was busy with his work at a house in Palm Villa Gate C when he was startled by a loud boom.

“When I looked up, I saw the aircraft crashing into some trees a few metres from me.

“My instinct was to run as I was afraid that it might explode, but when I looked closer, I saw the pilot climbing out of the plane,” he said.

Zainuddin said the pilot managed to extricate himself from the aircraft just as it started to rain.

“I led him to the back of the house for shelter. I also gave him some tissues paper to wipe off his blood,” he said.

The pilot, he said, then called his family, and shortly afterwards, personnel from the police and Fire and Rescue Department arrived at the scene.

Johor acting police chief Deputy Comm Datuk Ramli Hassan said a team was rushed to the scene after it was alerted of the incident at around 1.06pm.

“The Singaporean victim suffered minor injuries and was sent to Hospital Temenggung Seri Maharaja Tun Ibrahim in Kulai for treatment,” he said.

DCP Ramli added that the case had been handed over to the Civil Aviation Department for further investigation.