Elmina plane crash: Pilot always sought mother's blessing before flying

SEPANG: It was routine for Heikal Aras Abdul Azim, the pilot of the ill-fated plane that crashed on the Guthrie Highway near Bandar Elmina, Shah Alam, on Thursday (Aug 17), to seek the blessing of his mother, Noorhizan Mohd Salleh, before flying.

"It was like a routine for him, every time he wanted to fly, he would come to my house and ask for blessings," said Noorhizan, 68, when met at her home at Desa Pinggiran Putra here Friday (Aug 18).

She described Heikal Aras, 45, who just returned to Malaysia about two weeks ago after completing a three-month flight course in the United States, as a good son who was always positive about things.

Although saddened by the passing of her second child, she and her husband, Abdul Azim Aras, 76, accepted his death as fated.

"If he had any problem, he would face it calmly. He would always say it's just a world problem.

"I have five children, he was the most patient and very responsible. He was also polite and friendly," she added.

A Beechcraft Model 390 (Premier 1) light business jet aircraft flying from Langkawi to the Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport in Subang crashed at about 2.50pm, killing the six passengers and two crew on board and a delivery rider and a motorist on the ground. - Bernama