MELAKA: A false alarm about a supposed plane crash in Batu Berendam here sent the media into a frenzy, which later discovered that a decommissioned light aircraft was being transported to its new home as a landmark.
The confusion began when concerned residents alerted journalists at about 10am on Thursday (Jan 9) to the light aircraft spotted lying along the road at Sri Bayan roundabout here.
Mistaking the scene for an aviation accident, the media rushed to the location.
"We were covering another assignment in the morning when we were alerted about the so-called incident and immediately rushed to Batu Berendam.
"We only realised the aircraft was not involved in any crash but was being relocated by the Hang Tuah Jaya Municipal Council to be repurposed as a sculpture at the roundabout," said Reza A.Hamid, a journalist with a Bahasa Malaysia news portal.
The Star Media Group's stringer Sonny Ikmal (pic) said he reached out to the Melaka Fire and Rescue Department for verification, which confirmed that no aviation incident had been reported in the area.
"Firefighters also told us there were no emergency calls on the incident," he said.
Council President Datin Sapiah Haron, when contacted, said the aircraft had been donated by a local flying school to serve as a symbolic landmark near the Melaka International Airport.
She said the decommissioned Piper PA-28 Cherokee light aircraft would be a new attraction for commuters on the way to the airport.
