Elmina plane crash: Problem on the wings could have been the cause, says T'ganu MB

KUALA TERENGGANU: The crash of the light aircraft in Bandar Elmina, Shah Alam, Selangor on Thursday (Aug 17) could have been caused by a problem on the wings, says Terengganu Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar, who is also an aerospace expert.

In a Facebook post, the former head of Universiti Putra Malaysia's (UPM) aerospace department said that based on visual evidence available to the public, the problem might have been caused by either aileron failure or a combination of both rudder and elevator failure.

"Looking at the visual evidence alone (in the form of dashboard cam footage which has other limitations) that is available to all of us, I would be inclined to believe the issue at hand would be more on the 'flight control' - more towards a problem on the wings, possibly either aileron failure or combination of both rudder and elevator,” he said.

Nevertheless, he said aircraft failures could also originate from various problems or a single issue such as maintenance issues, structural integrity failures (structural stress and cyclic fatigue), engine failures, flight control issues, avionics problems and human factors.

However, more information is needed in finding the cause of the incident including the crash site investigation, parts and debris micro and macro inspection, and flight and black box analysis.

Ahmad Samsuri also conveyed his condolences to the families of the victims who perished in the crash.

"Heartfelt condolences to the victims’ families from all of us in Terengganu. May their souls be blessed by Allah SWT,” he said.

The 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 on Thursday, killing all six passengers and two crew on board.

The other two victims were civilians, a delivery rider and and a car driver who happened to be passing by at the scene. - Bernama