KUALA LUMPUR: The pilot of the Bo-105 helicopter which crashed and killed five people in Long Lellang on Sept 8, was medically fit and properly licensed, while the aircraft was deemed airworthy.
The Air Accidents Investigation Bureau (AAIB) in its preliminary report found that 30-year-old Captain Zainol Afiq Bee Sham, from Seremban, had 1,825.5 flight hours under his belt, including 915 hours and 50 minutes on the Bo-105 helicopter type.
The AAIB report said the Zainol had logged 81 hours and 48 minutes of flying time in the 90 days before the Sept 8 crash, while his rest period before the final flight was 22 hours.
"He held a valid Commercial Pilot Licence (Helicopter), with an aircraft rating for the Bo-105, and his licence was valid until Jan 31, 2027.
"He had also undergone a medical examination on Jan 26 this year, with his medical certificate valid until Jan 31, 2027.
"The pilot held the appropriate licence, qualifications, and approvals required to conduct the flight in accordance with the applicable regulations, held a valid medical certificate, and was medically fit to conduct the flight," the report read.
It also confirmed that the helicopter held valid Certificates of Registration and Airworthiness and was determined to be airworthy at the time.
"The aircraft, an MBB-Bo105 S manufactured by Eurocopter Deutschland GmbH in 1991, bore registration number 9M-LLF and serial number S-867. It was owned by Rotorwing (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd.
"Its Certificate of Registration was valid until July 28, 2029, while its Certificate of Airworthiness was valid until Aug 4, 2027," it said.
The report also stated that good weather conditions were reported and no distress call recorded before the accident.
It said all communication frequencies were operating normally throughout the flight.
Citing a weather assessment by the Malaysian Meteorological Department, the AAIB report said conditions around the airstrip were generally good, with visibility exceeding 10km at the time.
"Radar and satellite imagery showed no significant thunderstorm or rainfall activity within 20 nautical miles of the airstrip between 8am and 3pm.
"However, moderate convective cloud activity was observed in the area from about 4pm onwards," read the report.
It added that surface wind observations were available for Long Lellang STOLport, but no aerodrome or wind shear warnings were issued.
The report also said no significant meteorological information (SIGMET) or airmen's meteorological information (AIRMET) was active within 20 nautical miles of the airstrip.
AAIB said the helicopter had made several stops along the way from Miri to Long Lellang.
"According to operational information and Spider Track flight-tracking records, the helicopter started up at 10.15am before departing Miri at 10.24am for Ba'Lai.
"It landed at Ba'Lai at 11.39am, where the helicopter was shut down. It later resumed operations at 1.36pm, departing for Selungo," read the report.
It said the helicopter landed in Selungo at 2.02pm and was shut down before being refuelled in preparation for the next flight.
"It started up again at 3.17pm and departed for Long Lellang STOLport.
"The last recorded position in the Spider Track data was at 3.27pm, when the helicopter was approximately three nautical miles from Long Lellang STOLport," it said.
Spider Track is a satellite-based flight tracking and safety system for aircraft. It uses a small cockpit hardware device connected to the satellite network to transmit real-time data like an aircraft's GPS location, speed, and altitude back to a live digital map on the ground.
The report said no "abnormal event" had been identified throughout the flight, though the the helicopter's operational and technical status during the first sector (Miri to Ba'Lai) remained subject to further verification.
A 37-second video recording taken by a person on the ground captured the final portion of the flight, showing the helicopter with a visible trail of smoke and apparent flames near the area aft of the main gearbox, though it did not capture the point of impact.
"When the first responders approached the accident site, the helicopter was engulfed in fire approximately 25 metres of the Runway 04 threshold," the report said.
It added that the helicopter was substantially destroyed by the fire with the AAIB saying the origin, development and sequence of the fire remained under investigation.
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