View Full Version : The Jungle Claims Another One!
SHortshaft
26th Jul 2005, 03:37
A Hornbill Skyways Bell 206 helicopter with four people on board crashed near the remote Sarawak-Kalimantan border in Ulu Balleh, Kapit Division, in Sarawak, Malaysia, on Monday (25th July 2005).
The helicopter was chartered for an aerial mapping trip and the Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) lost contact with it at about 2:30pm. DCA notified the state police operation room of the missing helicopter at about 2:45pm.
The Malaysian Police Air Wing were dispatched to help in the search and rescue operations initiated by the DCA.
The search and rescue team saw smoke coming from the crash site at about 6pm but the fate of the four people on the helicopter was not known. Fading light prevented the search and rescue personnel from reaching the crash site.
Long Singut is only accessible by boat on a two-day journey from Kapit in the upper Rejang basin.
The four missing are reported to be pilot Capt Razali Sani, a solider and two surveyors who were on an aerial mapping mission in Long Singut, a Kayan-Kenyah settlement.
Hidden Agenda
30th Jul 2005, 09:51
One man has been found alive and two bodies were recovered four days after their helicopter crashed in the jungles of Borneo Island, according to Malaysian police. One person is still missing.
Rescuers on Friday reached one of the surveyors, a day after it was reported that a survivor, Razali Hassan of the Mapping and Survey Department, had been seeing him waving near the wreckage. Razali, who suffered several injuries including a broken right arm and cuts to his left eye, head and left arm, survived four days at the site of the wreckage, deep down a cliff.
A police officer said that the pilot and a soldier died in the crash, while one of the surveyors was still missing.
According to local newspaper reports rescuers were bringing the survivor and the two bodies to a hilltop landing pad about 400 meters (1,200 feet) above the crash site from where a helicopter is expected to take them to the town of Sibu on Saturday.
One theory is that the pilot was looking for a place to land to avoid bad weather when the mishap occurred.
jeffrey1
30th Jul 2005, 21:41
Malaysian pilots have never been known for their decision making abilities. You put the word "Captain" in front of their name, invinceability takes over and all sense is lost. I'm sure WLM, 170' and all the other guys I've flown with in Borneo would agree.
A very sad accident again. I am sorry about the loss of life, and my condoleances to all the families concerned.
We as professional pilots do speculate, but certainly feel these tragedies could be avoided if only a better training system for Malaysian helicopter pilots was available.
For the non familiar readers to Borneo island, Sarawak, is quite rugged, jungle type environment, with steep high medium mountains (up to 11000' but mostly 5000') hot and humide, windy at the normal time (midday, strongest 2pm etc).
Most of the Foreigner pilots (as we are called) have received training in Mountain Flying, a very specialised topic. Unfortunately our Malaysian counterparts do not ( and if any, it is minute)
Add the pressure of above management and clients, the loss of face syndrome, etc and you have the typical recipe for disaster, which happens too often.
I have read that some government officials are now blaming Bell helicopters as a possible reason for the crashes? Such mentality cannot help to highlight the real reason.
So what can be done or learnt? Revise the training syllabus, provide a thorough practical flying, with some Western experience ( and please do not start to tell me we are biased) and the Malaysian safety record for Helicopter will be improved.
13snoopy
1st Aug 2005, 03:07
Is the title of this thread "The Jungle Claims Another One!" really necessary?
Hidden Agenda
1st Aug 2005, 15:05
It is indeed a very sad state of affairs. This operator has a particularly bad record over the past few years, and this accident is its third in a year. Their continued existence seems to hinge very much on the influence of their owners, the state government.
An independent team is investigating this accident and will submit a report to the Malaysian Transport Ministry by Tuesday evening (2 Aug).
The Minister is reported to have commented, “I'm sad this has happened despite all the safety measures recommended and taken after the last two crashes" and that further action would depend on the outcome of the report.
WLM gives a good description of the terrain in Borneo. The weather conditions can also be vicious too; very changeable throughout the day. ‘Decision-making’ is definitely an issue in this theatre of operations, as is operational management.
Many of the Malaysian pilots were trained in the Royal Malaysian Air Force whose training school was set up and monitored along UK RAF lines and for many years received standardization visits from Central Flying School (RAF). Taining for mountain flying is an integral part of air force training. It is perhaps at the operator level that there is an issue, with an inadequate approach to ‘check & training’ in this subject area.
It should be appreciated that fatal accidents in Malaysia in recent years have not been restricted to Bell Helicopters or Malaysian pilots. There have been accidents involving Agusta 109, Kamov, Mi 8, Skycrane, Super Puma, AS 350 Squirrel & Sikorsky S61 helicopters too, some involving pilots from none South East Asian countries; the USA and New Zealand for example.
Borneo can undoubtedly be a hostile environment!
An interesting development came today, printed in the National Newspaper: This country's Deputy Prime Minister is declaring all helicopter flight operations illegal in Sarawak during the months of June, July and August, to curb any potential future accidents :uhoh:
How is a politician allowed to dictate air safety when he has no aviation knowledge :confused: Isn't the local Aviation Authority, ie DCA in this case, the one to assess and recommend action :confused:
We might as well stop all flying activities, that way Malaysia will improve its air safety record :rolleyes:
Has any of this nonsense been seen in other parts of the world?
jeffrey1
6th Aug 2005, 18:49
Hey WLM,
Does that include Erickson, Avialift, Skyking and others or just state owned Hornbill? Fly safe buddy, we all know the weather situation there.
Apparently all commercial ops :mad: but I think this character might be biting more than he can handle :}
How is the long lining flying Sir ;)