Those were the words recalled by a shopkeeper who spoke to the Flying Doctor Service (FDS) helicopter crew shortly before it departed from Long Siut for Long Lellang today.
Bungan Tegong, 61, said the crew had stopped at her sundry shop at about noon to rest, have drinks and buy some items after landing at Long Siut.
She said the crew spent about an hour at her shop, during which she spoke to a woman wearing a headscarf who told her they were heading to Long Lellang.
"I asked them why they were still continuing the journey if they knew the weather conditions were affected by haze.
"One of them replied, 'Tak boleh aunty, sebab kami sudah ada janji dengan pesakit' (We cannot, aunty, because we already have an appointment with patients there)," she told The Borneo Post.
Bungan said the crew had mentioned that weather conditions were unfavourable due to haze shortly before their departure.
She said she also recognised the pilot, who frequently operated FDS flights and regularly stopped in Long Siut to refuel.
"That pilot often flies the FDS and regularly refuels here. That is why I know him," she said.
Bungan said she had asked the woman how long it would take to fly from Long Siut to Long Lellang, and was told it would take about 10 minutes.
Long Siut is a Kenyah settlement in rural Baram, about a day's journey by four-wheel-drive from Long Lellang.
Earlier, the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM) confirmed that five people were on board a BO-105 helicopter that crashed near the Long Lellang STOLport.
In a statement, CAAM said it received notification of the incident from the Flight Information Service at 3.58pm.
CAAM identified the German-made helicopter's registration number as 9M-LLF.
"The helicopter was operating a Flying Doctor Service flight with five persons on board including the pilot," it said. - NST
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