Heli crash: Preliminary report finds facility flaws, victims died from blaze, not impact

A fierce blaze fuelled by safety facility deficiencies at Long Lellang Short Runway Airport in Ulu Baram, Sarawak, was the primary cause of death for five individuals in a helicopter crash, with all victims dying from severe burns rather than impact forces.

The Air Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) of the Transport Ministry revealed the findings regarding the cause of death and shortcomings in the rescue operation in a preliminary report published today.

A fierce blaze fuelled by safety facility deficiencies at Long Lellang Short Runway Airport in Ulu Baram, Sarawak, was the primary cause of death for five individuals in a helicopter crash, with all victims dying from severe burns rather than impact forces.

The Air Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) of the Transport Ministry revealed the findings regarding the cause of death and shortcomings in the rescue operation in a preliminary report published today.

Pathological and medical investigations confirmed that the pilot and four passengers aboard the Bolkow BO105 S helicopter, operated by Layang-Layang Aerospace Sdn Bhd, did not perish from the impact of the crash on the runway.

"Instead, (they died) as a result of being engulfed in flames and suffering critical burns before they could be rescued," the report stated.

The official report also exposed significant flaws in safety preparedness at the remote community airport, which exacerbated the situation during the fire.

At the time of the incident at approximately 3.30pm on Sept 8, no dedicated firefighting personnel were stationed at the airport. Firefighting and rescue duties fell on Rela volunteers and auxiliary police personnel acting as auxiliary responders.

"To make matters worse, auxiliary responders had to risk their lives fighting the fire without wearing complete firefighting personal protective equipment.

"AAIB's inspection of the safety equipment at the airport found that the provided fire-resistant suits and helmets were in a dilapidated state, showing physical damage and deterioration due to a lack of maintenance.

"Although 12 dry powder fire extinguisher units - comprising five 50kg capacity units and seven 9kg capacity units - were deployed by personnel and local villagers, the intense blaze could not be controlled.

"The aircraft continued to burn to a cinder for several hours by the side of the runway," it added.

No flight data, cockpit voice recorders

The incident occurred while the aircraft, registered as 9M-LLF and operating under the callsign MEDIC3, was executing a scheduled Flying Doctor Service mission for the Health Ministry.

The flight departed Miri at 10.15am, bound for Ba’Lai, before continuing its sector to Selungo at 1.36pm for refuelling.

After taking off from Selungo toward Long Lellang at 3.17 pm, the satellite flight tracking system (Spider Track) cut off approximately three nautical miles prior to reaching the destination.

A 37-second video recording captured by a ground witness showed the helicopter already emitting a thick smoke trail and visible flames behind the main gearbox as it approached Runway 04, before crashing approximately 25m from the runway threshold.

AAIB also confirmed that the helicopter was not equipped with a flight data recorder or a cockpit voice recorder.

However, no regulatory violation occurred, as the installation of “black boxes” is not mandatory under aviation regulations for this category of aircraft.

Specialised rescue teams from the Royal Malaysia Police, Fire and Rescue Department, and the Health Ministry only arrived at the scene on the second day via helicopter due to Long Lellang's extremely remote terrain and limited ground access.

The Transport Ministry expressed its condolences to the victims' families and emphasised that the investigation is being conducted in accordance with Annex 13 to the Convention on International Civil Aviation solely for prevention purposes, and not to apportion blame or liability.

"A comprehensive analysis regarding the origin of the fire in the engine/transmission area will be detailed in the final report," the ministry said.