Loke: CAAM audit identified minor issues prior to fatal Sarawak chopper crash, but found no direct link

Transport Minister Anthony Loke during Ministers’ Question Time at the Parliament building in Kuala Lumpur on October 15, 2026. — Bernama pic

By Syed Jaymal Zahiid

First Published: Thursday, 15 Oct 2026 12:29 PM MYT

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 15 — Malaysia’s aviation regulator found organisational deficiencies at Layang-Layang Aerospace Sdn. Bhd. during a routine audit days before a fatal helicopter crash in Sarawak, though officials emphasised that the findings were not directly linked to the accident.

Transport Minister Anthony Loke, addressing Parliament today, said the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM) recorded three audit findings and three observations during a surveillance audit from September 1 to September 4, including issues of manpower planning calculations, maintenance handover records, and emergency response documentation.

The audit was a routine yearly assessment for CAAM to consider Layang-Layang Aerospace’s application to renew the company’s Approved Maintenance Organisation (AMO) approval, the minister explained.

“The scope of the surveillance audit encompassed aspects of maintenance organisation compliance, manpower management, maintenance control, management of aircraft equipment and components, as well as the Safety Management System (SMS),” Loke said during Question Time.

“The audit findings on Layang-Layang’s maintenance organisation recorded three audit findings and three observations,” he added.

“All audit findings had been closed except for one finding related to manpower calculation maintenance, which was still awaiting final verification by CAAM as of the date of the accident. The finding was organisational in nature and not directly related to the technical condition of aircraft 9M-LLF or the aircraft systems involved in the accident.”  

The Bolkow BO105 helicopter crashed on September 8 at Long Lelang STOLport in Sarawak, killing the pilot and four health ministry personnel on board.

Preliminary findings by the Air Accident Investigation Bureau (BSKU) confirmed that the pilot was fully licensed and medically fit, while the aircraft held valid registration and airworthiness certificates at departure.

BSKU is scheduled to present an initial public report to the Cabinet on October 16, with a final report expected within a year, Loke said.

Following the crash, CAAM carried out verification inspections between September 9 and September 12 on other BO105 helicopters and aircraft sharing the same Rolls-Royce RR250 engine model.

Operations were permitted to resume after compliance levels were verified to be satisfactory.