Elmina crash: Mystery still unravelled

SHAH ALAM - Air Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) preliminary report on the Hawker Beechcraft 390 Premier 1 plane that crashed in Elmina, Shah Alam on Aug 17 was said to be too brief, hence not being able to unravel the cause of the tragedy.

Former Malaysia Airlines (Mas) chief pilot Datuk Captain Nik Ahmad Huzlan Nik Hussain said that the report did not provide a detailed explanation in regard to the cargo weight or fuel measurement of the aircraft before taking off from Langkawi.

However, he said the matters could only be shed light on in the final report which would only be announced within a year or two.

"The content (of the report) that can be used is not extensive. However, with the audio from the cockpit voice recorder (CVR) box, the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM) ruled out the possibility of the pilot losing control as the main reason for the loss of control.

"In terms of licencing and also the aircraft's technical documents, the report stated that all conditions were met and it was reported to be in good condition.

"Even though there were two pilots, but one who had a licence to fly the plane as well as the weather were also reported not to be the cause of the accident. Yet, the status of the flight whether private or specially chartered was not informed," he told Sinar Harian yesterday.

Meanwhile, aviation expert Captain (R) Abdul Rahmat Omar Tun Mohd Haniff requested a further investigation on the audio and CVR files that were successfully recovered by a laboratory in the United States (US) to be immediately examined to figure out the exact cause of the crash.

According to him, the initial report of the accident had clearly answered netizen's speculations about the alleged failure of the plane's engine to function due to the fan component or the ingestion of foreign substances such as birds.

"But both sides of the plane's engine were evidently in good condition until the crash took place.

"Apart from that, both the pilots also had flight qualifications in terms of certification and physical health," he said.