Prolonged overloading likely primary cause of fatal Kapar crash, says AAIB

 

In its preliminary report last year, the AAIB said the light aircraft, similar to the one in this file picture, likely broke up mid-flight. (Blackshape pic)

PETALING JAYA: 

Prolonged overloading was likely the primary cause behind the crash of the light aircraft in Kapar, Klang, on Feb 13 last year, according to the final report by the transport ministry’s Air Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB).

In the report sighted today by FMT, the bureau said while it could not entirely rule out potential manufacturing defects in the analysis of the Blackshape BK 160TR light aircraft’s wreckage, the “available evidence strongly suggests operational exceedances were the primary contributors”.

“Prolonged exposure to excessive loads accelerates fatigue in composite structures, highlighting the importance of adhering to operational limits to ensure structural longevity and safety.

“Repeated prohibited manoeuvres and operational exceedances placed undue stress on the aircraft’s composite structure, contributing to accelerated fatigue in the carbon fibre reinforced plastic (CFRP) material,” read the report.

The AAIB noted that while CFRP was generally resilient, excessive loading could lead to delamination, micro-cracking, and other forms of fatigue-related damage.

In its preliminary report released last year, the AAIB said the light aircraft that crashed into an oil palm plantation near Kapar, killing the pilot and a passenger, likely broke up mid-flight.

“The distribution of the debris around the area strongly suggests that large structural parts had separated from the aircraft while in-flight, before ground impact at the oil palm plantation,” said the AAIB, adding that almost the entire right wing had come off.

“There was no sign of any pre-crash or post-crash fire on any of the debris found at all the sites,” the AAIB said, adding that the sheer force of the impact was “not survivable”.

The report also said the aircraft had been subject to a grounding order, not allowing it to fly.

The maintenance schedules were “irregular”, sometimes performed by unlicensed technicians.

The AAIB said it was, however, important to note that the Standard and Industrial Research Institute of Malaysia (Sirim) test samples taken from the wreckage were subjected to post-accident environmental exposure.

It said this included water contamination, which might have further contributed to the observed material degradation.

“These factors complicate the interpretation of the results, as the samples may not fully reflect the properties of factory-prepared material.

“While operational stresses played a significant role in the degradation of the composite material, the possibility of potential manufacturing defects, such as incomplete curing or voids in the laminate, cannot be entirely ruled out.

“However, the available evidence strongly suggests that operational exceedances were the primary contributors to the material degradation,” it said. - FMT