Light plane crash on Malaysia highway ‘not survivable’; no evidence flight crew was incapacitated: Early report
The site of the airplane crash at Elmina, Shah Alam, in Malaysia's Selangor state, where security forces have cordoned off the area from the public. (Photo: CNA/Fadza Ishak)
KUALA LUMPUR: The fatal plane crash at a highway near the Elmina township in Shah Alam, Selangor last month was not survivable due to the magnitude of the deceleration force and the post-crash fire, according to a preliminary report.
According to Bernama, the Aircraft Accident Preliminary Report by the Ministry of Transport’s (MOT) Air Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) found that based on the visual and field analysis, the aircraft's right wing tip first impacted on the solid ground and was immediately followed by the nose at high energy.
The 60-page report said that the short duration acceleration of 0.1 to 0.5 seconds - typically observed in high-energy collisions - led to the fatal injuries of the aircraft occupants.
“This level of impact forces, collision pattern and magnitude were beyond the limit of human tolerance indicating that this was not a survivable accident,” according to the report published on MOT’s official website on Friday (Sep 15).
According to Bernama, there was also no evidence of incapacitation or physiological factors that affected the flight crew’s performance.
The plane was manned by two pilots, namely Shahrul Kamal Roslan, 41, and his second-in-command Heikal Aras Abdul Azim, 44.
“Both (pilots) held valid medical certificates from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM),” according to the AAIB report.
The designated medical examiner who conducted physical examinations on both pilots also identified no significant conditions.
“Based on available history and physical examinations, (the pilots) had no known medical conditions that could pose significant hazards to flight safety,” said AAIB.
On Aug 17, a private aircraft bearing the registration number N28JV crashed on the Guthrie Highway near Elmina, killing all eight onboard - six passengers and two flight crew members. Two motorists - one e-hailing driver and a p-hailing motorcyclist - who happened to be passing by the scene also died.
The Beechcraft Model 390 (Premier 1) was travelling from the resort island of Langkawi to Subang airport in Selangor when it crashed at about 2.10pm, just before it was due to land.
