A picture showing debris at the scene of the hrelicopter crash near Kampung Pasir Baru in Semenyih April 4, 2015. — Picture coutesy of the Selangor Fire and Rescue Department
The deadly helicopter crash in Semenyih last month was caused by a left tail stabiliser that broke off due to earlier damage from its last landing in a football field, the Ministry of Transport (MOT) said today.
In the preliminary report on the April 30 accident released today, it was revealed that the helicopter had not struck any terrain or trees during flight, and had vertically descended to the main crash site after the main rotor struck the left side of the craft.
“The left landing gear had sunken around 20 inches (in its last landing), causing the helicopter to tilt around 13 degrees to the left …
“This condition might have caused the tail section below the tail rotor fenestron to impact the ground,” Transport Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai told reporters.
The report also pointed at “excessive fluid leak” found on the sink hole at the ground, believed to be hydraulic fluid from the left landing gear.
“Inspection on the reconstruction of the wreckage revealed that the main rotor blades had struck the cowling, tail boom, fenestron and the left cabin door while the helicopter was still in the air,” the report said.
“This action is considered consequential and there was no indication that the helicopter had struck terrain or any trees in flight prior to the impact.”
The investigation by the Air Accident Investigation Bureau of Malaysia (AAIB) has yet to recover wreckage of said left stabiliser.
The rest of the main wreckage however was concentrated at one area in a ravine, with the four main rotor blades found at a different place.
“The impact of the main rotor blades on the structure of the helicopter was consequence of the extreme load factor encountered several seconds before the end of the recorded data associated with extreme attitude,” said the report.
“The extreme attitude was due to negative load factor by very fast pitch down motion consistent with the result of lost of left horizontal stabiliser without any pilot action.”
Six people were killed when the helicopter crashed en route from Kuantan to Sungai Besi, including Rompin MP Tan Sri Jamaluddin Jarjis and the prime minister’s private chief secretary Datuk Azlin Alias.
- See more at: http://www.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/broken-stabiliser-caused-chopper-crash-that-killed-pms-aide-ministry-reveal#sthash.iBpBew25.dpuf
