PETALING JAYA: The recently declassified report on the fatal 1976 plane crash in Sabah, known as the Double Six tragedy, leaves the next of kin of victims with more questions than answers, says Donald Peter Mojuntin.
The Upko deputy president asked why the report had been classified under the Official Secrets Act (OSA) for 47 years when it was “harmless” and offered a “simple reason” for the crash.
“We’re confused as to why the report was classified for so many years. There were government officials and ministers who said the report was classified due to public interest. Some even said it was for national security.
“But they could have told us all of this 47 years ago. (The report) is anticlimactic,” he told FMT.
Donald, a former Penampang MP, is the son of then housing and local government minister Peter Mojuntin who was among the 11 who perished in the crash.
He urged Anwar Ibrahim’s government to set up a special committee to probe why the report had been classified.
Donald said something was amiss about the report and that Putrajaya should launch a probe so that everything surrounding the incident could be brought to light.
He added that the crash had changed many things for Sabah, even its political environment.
“We accept the report as it is, but the thing is, since it’s such a straightforward report, why was it classified?
“Now, I think, more Sabahans in general would wonder why it was classified in the first place. Why, why, why?”
The declassified report stated there was no evidence that sabotage, fire or an explosion had caused the tragic 1976 plane crash that claimed the lives of then Sabah chief minister Fuad Stephens, Peter and nine others.
It said the probable cause of the crash was “a centre of gravity position well outside the aft limit, which caused the control column to run out of forward range on the final approach to land”.
It also said there was a problem with professional compliance of operating procedures by the company that operated the flight and that the pilot had exceeded his 10-hour duty period by 67 minutes.
The report added that the pilot, Gandhi J Nathan, had a history of poor performance in flying.
The report was jointly prepared by the civil aviation department, the Royal Malaysian Air Force and the Australian transport department. - FMT
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