KUALA LUMPUR: A ground crew member was killed when a Bell 206L4 helicopter caught fire while landing to refuel near a TNB project site in Bentong.
Pahang Fire and Rescue Department (JBPM) public relations officer Zulfadli Zakaria, who confirmed the incident, said the pilot survived the fire in the incident yesterday morning which completely destroyed the helicopter.
The incident occurred along the old Kuala Lumpur-Bentong road.
Both the pilot and victim are Indonesian nationals.
In a statement, the Pahang JBPM operations centre said upon receiving a distress call, five personnel and an officer from the Bentong Fire and Rescue Station were dispatched to the scene, with a Fire Rescue Tender (FRT) arriving at 10.52am.
TNB said it has suspended operations of a second helicopter involved in maintenance work at the project site.
In a statement on its TNB Careline Facebook page, the company said it would fully cooperate with authorities in the investigation and extended its condolences to the victim’s family.
“Witnesses reported that the helicopter lost control and overturned during the landing process.
“The ground crew member, an Indonesian engineer, was fatally injured by the helicopter’s rotor blades,” the statement said, Bernama reported.
Meanwhile, the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM) confirmed in a statement that the ill-fated helicopter, leased and operated by MHS Aviation Bhd, was conducting an aerial work flight.
The last update from the operator, received at 10.18am by Flight Information Services at the Kuala Lumpur Air Traffic Control Centre, indicated that the helicopter was preparing to land at the designated landing site.
CAAM said further investigations will be carried out by the Air Accident Investigation Bureau under the Transport Ministry, in accordance with the Civil Aviation Regulations 2016.
