The investigation report on the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) Nuri helicopter which crashed in Genting Sempah in July has been released. The report indicates that the copter hit the canopy of trees thrice while flying low over the area before going down.
The investigation also found that bad weather, which had reduced visibility to less than two kilometres, and the hilly terrain in the area had also contributed to the mishap. There was no evidence pointing to any technical fault in the helicopter. [Bernama]
Termuzi Abd Aziz, father of the deceased pilot, Capt Norazlan Termuzi, said that the board of inquiry had not conducted the investigation in a comprehensive manner, claiming that the probe was only conducted at the scene of the crash without considering “other factors”.
Deputy Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak was fast to respond that the probe was conducted professionally. [Bernama]
The report is obviously trying to load all the responsibilities to the deceased. It could be true that the pilot’s mistake could have cause the accident eventually… but as the elder Termuzi mentioned… shouldn’t we look a bit beyond that?
For example, who was giving the order for the crew to take the flight? When did the weather report come in? Did the crew know about the weather condition prior to lifting off? If they did, whose call was it to continue the flight anyway… the captain, the crew or higher ranking officers? Why were they flying so low… was they forced to because of the copter’s ability? Could the accident be avoided if they had a better chopper?
I won’t call the report a cheat, but there are lots of unattended questions. I strongly doubt that it could be regarded as a professional report.