KUANTAN: Two Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) pilots managed to eject safely before their trainer aircraft crashed in a paddy field in Pekan, Pahang.
The RMAF said in a statement that the Aermacchi MB339CM aircraft that took off from the Kuantan air base had faced technical problems during a training exercise at 12.54pm Tuesday.
It said an investigation board would be set up to probe the incident.
According to the Fire and Rescue Department, the jet crashed near Kampung Serum in Pekan.
A team of 11 personnel had been dispatched to the site.
Close call for RMAF pilots who ejected after technical problems with aircraft
PEKAN: A farmer had a narrow escape when a Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) aircraft crashed into his padi field here.
Abd Jalil Abd Karim, 47, said he was working when he heard a loud bang in the sky.
“When I looked up, there were parachutes in the air and moments later, the aircraft crashed to the ground.
“The aircraft was only 30m away from where I was standing. I could only watch as I did not know where to run,” he said at Kampung Serun Dalam in Nenasi here yesterday.
The RMAF said in a statement that the Aermacchi MB-339CM aircraft, which took off from the Kuantan air base, encountered technical problems during a training exercise at 12.54pm yesterday.
Both pilots managed to eject safely before their trainer aircraft crashed.
“There wasn’t any smoke or flames in the sky at that time. I rushed to the wreckage to see if anyone was still in it.
“I then shouted to my friends for help and my wife Soleh Abdullah brought food to give to the pilots,” Abd Jalil said.
He later carried the two pilots to safer ground with the help of his friends.
“One of the pilots had injuries to his mouth and the other complained of pain in his knee,” Abd Jalil said.
“Both of them looked pale,” he added.
The RMAF said an investigation board would be set up to investigate the cause of the crash.
