I was cleared to land, says pilot in fatal runway accident

The pilot of a jet involved in a fatal runway collision at Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport in Subang claimed to have been cleared to land by the air traffic controller, reported The Star.

Muhammad Fauwaz Zamzam, who had piloted the Berjaya Air plane, was quoted as saying that there had been no notice issued for maintenance work as required.

"I did not see any other light on the tarmac, except for the airport guiding lights, as the plane approached the runway. If there has been work being carried out or any vehicle on the runway, normally there would be beacon lights," he said.

Muhammad said he had radioed the control tower twice before landing.

"The first attempt was not responded to and on my second call, the tower gave us the clearance to land," he said.

"Seconds after the plane touched down, as it was rolling on the tarmac, it hit into something. There was a jerk, a light bang as the plane swerved a bit, but I managed to steer the aircraft," he told the English daily.

The plane's crew then proceeded to the bay after checking the aircraft instruments and confirming there was no fire, he said.

He added that he had learnt about the incident after the plane had taxied.

In the incident last Monday, Mohd Ruzaimi Iskandar Ahmad Razali, 39, was driving an engineering vehicle at the Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport in Subang, when his vehicle was involved in a runway accident with a private aircraft at about 3.20am.

Mohd Ruzaimi succumbed to his injuries on Tuesday evening. He leaves behind a wife, and four children aged between one and 13.

Tycoon Vincent Tan, who is the executive chairperson of Berjaya Group, had reportedly accused Subang airport authorities yesterday of being negligent in the incident.

Berjaya Air was also reported by Malay Mail as saying that the flight involved had followed an approved flight plan prior to its landing.

Yesterday, Transport Minister Anthony Loke said investigations into the incident are expected to be completed within 30 days.  - Mkini