KUALA LUMPUR: Preliminary findings into the Sept 8 helicopter crash in Long Lellang, Sarawak, which killed five people, will be presented to the Cabinet on Friday (Oct 16), says Transport Minister Anthony Loke.
Loke said the investigation carried out by the Air Accident Investigation Bureau revealed that the pilot had a valid flying license, was qualified to handle the flight and possessed a valid medical certificate.
“The helicopter also had a valid Certificate of Registration and Certificate of Airworthiness and was confirmed to be airworthy at the time of departure.
“Investigations are still ongoing, and a final report on the accident must be prepared within one year of the date of the crash,” he said during Ministers’ Question Time in the Dewan Rakyat on Thursday (Oct 15).
Loke also said the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM) had conducted a surveillance audit of Layang Layang Aerospace Sdn Bhd, which owned the Bölkow BO-105 helicopter (9M-LLF) involved in the crash on Sept 8, from Sept 1 to Sept 4.
He said follow-up activities and the audit closure were completed on Sept 6, adding that the audit was an annual exercise conducted to consider the company's application to renew its Approved Maintenance Organisation (AMO) approval.
He also clarified that the outstanding finding was organisational in nature and was not directly related to the technical condition of aircraft or the aircraft systems involved in the accident.
According to the minister, audit findings concerned methods used for manpower calculation and planning and unclear maintenance task handover records relating to the implementation of certain scheduled inspections.
It also noted insufficient documentation of detailed procedures for ensuring operational continuity following an emergency in the Safety Management System (SMS) manual and Emergency Response Plan (ERP).
“All audit findings had been closed except for one relating to the standardisation of manpower calculations, which was still awaiting final verification by CAAM on the date of the accident,” he said.
He was responding to a question by Datuk Dr Richard Rapu (GPS-Betong), who asked about the matter.
The crash on Sept 8 saw five people, a pilot and four Health Ministry personnel on Flying Doctor Service (FDS) duty, killed.
