CAAM flagged heli operator’s maintenance issues days before crash

The Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM) flagged several maintenance issues during an inspection of the company that operated the Flying Doctor Service helicopter which crashed in Sarawak last month, killing five.

Transport minister Loke Siew Fook said CAAM inspected Layang Layang Aerospace Sdn Bhd’s maintenance operations from Sept 1 to 4, with follow-up checks completed on Sept 6, two days before the crash.

The inspection found three issues: the company’s maintenance staff planning, unclear records of certain scheduled maintenance checks, and inadequate written procedures for continuing operations after an emergency.

He said two of the problems were resolved, while the third, involving how the company calculated its staffing needs, was still awaiting final verification by CAAM when the crash occurred.

“CAAM concluded that these issues had nothing to do with the helicopter’s mechanical condition,” he told the Dewan Rakyat today.

Loke was responding to Richard Rapu (GPS-Betong), who asked whether weaknesses found during earlier inspections were linked to mechanical problems, engine issues or crew fatigue.

Richard also wanted to know if CAAM was keeping a closer watch on the company’s remaining helicopters.

The Bolkow BO-105 helicopter, operated by Layang Layang under a health ministry contract, crashed at the Long Lellang airstrip in Ulu Baram on Sept 8. The pilot and four medical workers were killed.

Loke said investigators had yet to establish the cause of the crash or whether any of the issues identified were contributing factors.

“We need a detailed investigation to establish what actually happened to the aircraft and whether there was any connection (with the issues flagged by CAAM),” he said.

He said preliminary investigations found that the pilot had a valid flying licence. The aircraft also had valid registration and airworthiness certificates and was declared fit to fly before the crash.

Loke said an initial investigation report had been prepared and would be presented to the Cabinet tomorrow. A final report must be completed within a year of the accident.

Following the crash, CAAM carried out safety checks on Layang Layang’s other BO-105 helicopters on Sept 9 and 10, followed by inspections of other aircraft using the same Rolls-Royce RR250 engine from Sept 10 to 12.

Loke said inspections found that the aircraft met maintenance requirements. They were allowed to resume operations only after CAAM was satisfied that the necessary checks and corrective work had been completed.

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