Aviation tragedy: Rescuers surround the wreckage of the missing helicopter that had crashed at the Chikus forest reserve in Perak.
TAPAH: It was a swampy and soggy area within a forest, but 16 years of experience as a firefighter came in handy for Mohamad Yunus Abu in the search for a helicopter which crashed near here.
The former deputy chief of rescue studies at the Malaysian Fire and Rescue Academy Central Region was among the first few people at the site of the helicopter wreckage at the Chikus Forest Reserve yesterday morning.
Mohamad Yunus Abu (right)
“Luckily for us, the area was not a dense forest. It was a slightly swampy (berpaya) area,” he told reporters at Bidor town yesterday.
The town is about an hour’s drive from the site where the wreckage was found.
Mohamad Yunus said that the search and rescue team (SAR) arrived at the scene on a 4x4 vehicle together with several members of the Malaysian Civil Defence Force.
“Since we could not communicate with the other teams, we relied on a SAR helicopter to guide us to the right location,” he said.
Less than 24 hours after the crash was reported, rescuers was able to retrieve the pilot, identified as 58-years-old Tsz Kin Richard Chan from Hong Kong.
Mohamad Yunus said he noticed the pilot had serious injuries on one of his legs.
“When we were at the scene, several TUDM (Royal Malaysian Air Force) officers were already there. Shortly afterwards, the medical team arrived.
“We carried the victim to the SAR helicopter for further assistance,” he said.
At a separate press conference earlier yesterday, Perak police chief Comm Datuk Mohd Yusri Hassan Basri said the pilot was found inside the cockpit. The pilot was later declared dead.
“Based on our initial investigation, we did not find any traces of an explosion. We have secured the place to prevent trespassing and the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM) will conduct further investigations,” he added.
Comm Mohd Yusri said the police has informed the pilot’s family.
The helicopter, with a single pilot on board, was reported to have lost contact with Kuala Lumpur Air Traffic Control Centre on Sunday afternoon.
It had taken off from the Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport in Subang at 11.37am for a private flight and was scheduled to land at the Sultan Azlan Shah Airport in Ipoh at 12.37pm.
