Copter tragedy: Aunt never thought Noorfarahimi's thrill of flying in heli would end sad

SELAMA: It never occurred to Laila Fairus Ismail, 58, that her niece's excitement of flying in a helicopter would end in tragedy, with Royal Malaysian Navy (TLDM) Warrant Officer II TNL Noorfarahimi Mohd Saedy perishing with nine other TLDM personnel when two helicopters crashed at the TLDM base in Lumut on Tuesday.

Laila said Noorfarahimi, 41, had spoken to her about this when they met during the recent Hari Raya Aidilfitri celebration.

"She (Noorfarahimi) was a cheerful person and, during Hari Raya, she told me that she would be retiring in June and wanted to feel the thrill of flying in a helicopter one last time before calling it a day.

"However, I never expected this to happen,” she said when met in Banggol Jas, Sungai Bayor, Selama.

Laila said Noorfarahimi was closest to her, especially since her (Noorfarahimi's) mother passed away four years ago.

"When I went back to celebrate Raya recently, she took pictures with all our family members except me. It never occurred to me that it was a sign that she would be gone forever,” she said.

Noorfarahimi was among the 10 personnel who were killed when two helicopters crashed in Lumut while conducting a third rehearsal for a flypast in conjunction with the TLDM Fleet Open Day, scheduled to be held this Saturday (April 27).

Meanwhile, Noorfarahimi's second daughter, 12-year-old Nur Alwani Fatihah Muhd Zul said her mother told her to take care of herself and to fully focus on her studies before leaving for work.

The youngster added that the advice felt odd because her mother had never done this before.

"My mother never advised me like this and she would usually greet me and then rush off to work. It felt odd and it bothered me until my oldest brother, Muhd Alif Farhan, 16, informed me of the tragedy,” she said. - Bernama