Pilot nearby saw helicopter plunge, says report – Bernama
Published: 5 April 2015 4:25 PM
Malaysian soldiers carrying a coffin containing the remains of Tan Sri Jamaluddin Jarjis, who was killed in a helicopter crash in Semenyih yesterday. A pilot flying nearby said he saw the helicopter nosedive before crashing into a rubber smallholding. – The Malaysian Insider pic by Najjua Zulkefli, April 5, 2015.A pilot flying in the Kajang area yesterday evening said he saw a Eurocopter Dauphin (AS365N2) helicopter dive before crashing near Semenyih.
The pilot identified only as Captain Lee told Astro Awani TV that he had communicated with the pilot of the ill-fated helicopter on their positions and destinations it went down.
All on board the helicopter including Rompin MP and PR1MA Malaysia Corporation chairman Tan Sri Dr Jamaluddin Jarjis and five others were killed in the crash.
Lee said he was flying a light plane from Johor to Subang when he saw the helicopter plunge to the ground.
"It was about 5pm, I was on the way from Johor to Subang when I saw a helicopter heading to Subang from Kuantan. On approaching Kajang, I saw the helicopter had an IGB logo and I continued flying.
"Three minutes later I looked back and saw the aircraft nosedive into the ground. I saw the helicopter crash and black smoke billowed from the site. Seen from the air, I can confirm the helicopter crashed," he said in a telephone conversation with the private television station.
He said during the incident, the weather was fair with rain but there was no storm.
"In my experience, the crash was not due to the weather. I saw it happen... it was horrible.
“After the incident, I contacted the control tower on the IGB helicopter crash and continued my journey as I was ferrying some passengers.
"According to the helicopter position at the time, the route was almost the same. I last checked the time (before the incident) and it was 4.55pm.
"Prior to the incident, I spoke to the helicopter pilot and exchanged information about approaching Kajang."
Jamaluddin and Datuk Azlin Alias, the principal private secretary of the prime minister, and four other people were flying back from Pekan, Pahang, to Subang when the AS3655N2 Dauphin (9M-1GB) helicopter went down in a rubber smallholding in Semenyih.
The four others have been identified as pilot Captain Clifford William Fournier, operations assistant Aidana Baizieva, Jamaluddin's bodyguard Razakan Seran and businessman Datuk Tan Huat Seang. – Bernama, April 5, 2015.
