Navy chopper crash: Fennec strayed from designated route, altitude - admiral

 

The tragic crash involving two Royal Malaysian Navy aircraft on April 23 was mainly caused by the Fennec helicopter deviating from its designated altitude and course and entering the flight path of the AW139 helicopter, according to the Board of Inquiry findings.

Navy chief Admiral Abdul Rahman Ayob said the Board of Inquiry also concluded that the secondary factor of the crash was the channelled attention of the AW139 helicopter crew, who were focused on changing course, thereby limiting their reaction to avoid the collision.

All 10 navy personnel on board the two helicopters were killed in the crash at the Lumut navy base.

However, Rahman said the Board of Inquiry's report did not attribute the crash to human error because the Fennec helicopter was not equipped with a black box.

“There is no data to conclude human error occurred because the Fennec aircraft did not have a black box,” he said at a press conference today to release the final report on the crash.

The Maritime Operations Helicopter (HOM-AW139) carrying seven personnel and the Fennec with three crew members were rehearsing for the navy’s 90th Anniversary celebration.

According to Rahman, the Board of Inquiry used the black box analysis report from the AW139 helicopter to aid the investigation, while for the Fennec aircraft, the flight profile was reconstructed through flight simulation using a real helicopter.

He said the Board of Inquiry also obtained cooperation, expertise and insights from the helicopter manufacturers - Leonardo Helicopter and Airbus Helicopter - to assist in the investigation.

“Airbus Helicopter confirmed that there were no devices with Non-Volatile Memory (NVM) on the Fennec aircraft that could assist the investigation,” he said.

Crew fit to fly

Rahman said the autopsy reports confirmed that there were no issues of hypoglycemia or signs of fatigue among all the aircrew and no use of prohibited substances.

“There were no recorded or identified elements of mental illness, and all aircrew involved were medically certified as fit to fly. The cause of death for the 10 crash victims was multiple injuries due to the aviation crash,” he said.

He added that samples of oil, lubricants and fuel from both helicopters were tested and confirmed to be normal by the Science & Technology Research Institute for Defence.

According to Rahman, the wreckage of the two helicopters is still stored at the Lumut navy base for further examination.

He said they are evaluating options to replace the two critical assets for navy operations, either through the acquisition of new assets or leasing.

Commenting on the welfare of the victims' families, Rahman said the navy has disbursed all compensation payments and group insurance payouts to the eligible beneficiaries.

He added that pension payments have also begun to be made monthly to all the heirs concerned.

“The navy is also still receiving contributions from the public through the Lumut 24 Tragedy Fund and distributions to the beneficiaries will be made after the fund closes in October,” he said.

- Bernama