Well another case....
Snapped cables found on another MAS airplane
Was it tampering? Authorities order strict checks on all craft at KLIA, call for CCTV and tougher security
KUALA LUMPUR - Malaysia's airport authority has been ordered to undertake stringent checks on all aircraft parked at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) after a second incident of suspected wire tampering of a Malaysia Airlines (MAS) aircraft in two months.
The Transport Ministry called for the introduction of closed-circuit television cameras and strict pre-flight checks as part of measures to bolster security, according to reports here yesterday.
This follows the discovery of snapped steering cables in a number of planes - the latest being on Wednesday.
Investigators believe these may have been cut by vandals.
Transport Minister Chan Kong Choy said all planes at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport, south of the capital, would come under camera surveillance.
'Each and every plane has to be checked thoroughly before take-off,' he told reporters after opening an international conference on Chinese culture on Saturday.
'So there is no way a plane with some technical fault will be allowed to take off.'
National carrier Malaysia Airlines (MAS) and the police are investigating whether the latest incident involving a Boeing 777 plane was an accident or an act of vandalism.
In the incident on Wednesday, engineers found that a cable which allows pilots to turn the plane on the ground had snapped before the Bombay-bound jet was to take off with 280 passengers.
The wires in the nose wheel area of the aircraft were found cut during a pre-flight inspection, forcing a delay in the flight.
The incident came just weeks after several wires on a MAS passenger plane bound for Australia were found to have been cut shortly before take-off.
Three of the airline's staff were arrested after that Oct 2 incident.
But they were later released over what a spokesman described as an act of vandalism, not sabotage.
The Airbus A-330 was about to depart for Perth when the damage was discovered by a maintenance engineer.
It was grounded and the 300 passengers were put on board another aircraft.
Datuk Seri Chan said the government was concerned and had ordered an investigation into the latest incident.
He also gave the assurance that the airport and MAS authorities placed the utmost importance on the safety of passengers. -- AFP, The Star/Asia News Network, New Sunday Times