PETALING JAYA: Four pilots from the Indonesian Air Force Jupiter aerobatic team involved in a mid-air collision at the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition (Lima) 2015 on Sunday are reported to be safe.
In a statement, event organisers HW Lima said the pilots ejected successfully and are currently under observation in Langkawi Hospital.
The two aircraft clipped each other's wings during an aerobatics rehearsal for the upcoming Lima 2015.
The aircraft, which were among six KT–1B Wong Bee planes brought in by the Indonesian team, were lost in the incident.
A house and a parked car caught fire after being hit by falling debris from the mid-air collision. The houseowner was nto at hoem at the time of the incident and no other bystanders were hurt.
A search and rescue mission headed by he Royal Malaysian Air Force responded within minutes and successfully rescued the pilots in Kedawang, about 11.3km away from the Mahsuri International Exhibition Centre.
The Indonesian Air Force and the Royal Malaysian Air Force have formed a joint team to investigate the incident.
Defence Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussien and Indonesian defence minister General (RTD) Ryamizard Ryacudu took time off from their informal Asean Defence Ministers’ meeting (ADMM) here to visit the pilots of Jupiter aerobatics team who crashed during practice for the Langkawi International Maritime and Air 2015 (Lima’15) exhibition.
The pilots were taken to the Langkawi Hospital for treatment and observation.
The Jupiter aerobatics team from Indonesia were on a practice run when two of the Korean-made KTB-1 airplanes grazed mid-air and crashed.
One of the aircraft crashed outside the perimeter of the Langkawi International Airport but the other crashed near Kampung Gelam, which lies just outside the airport.
The pilots successfully ejected from their planes.
Hishammuddin and Ryamizard are in Langkawi for the Ninth ADMM. They will later be joined by the other defence ministers from Asean at an official dinner tonight.
BERNAMA reports: Defence Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein expressed his thankfulness when all four of Indonesia's Jupiter aerobatic pilots involved in the mid-air plane collision today, survived.
He said although the group of pilots was involved in an accident today, they were still eager to continue with the show.
"I am thankful that all of them survived. Thank God, they (the Jupiter pilot group) remain vibrant. Their morale is high," he told reporters at the Langkawi District Hospital today.
He had earlier visited all four pilots involved along with his counterpart from Indonesia, Ryamizard Ryacudu.
All four of them are in stable condition with only minor injuries and are being closely monitored by doctors and medical personnel at the hospital.
According to hospital staff, the four Indonesian pilots had also undergone scanning procedures to check for possible internal injuries.
Hishammuddin said he was satisfied with the search and rescue operations to save the pilots.
"I am satisfied with the SAR operation and the time taken by the force to rescue the pilots involved," he said.
