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19 April 2024
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Ten crew killed after two Malaysian Navy helicopters collide in midair
On the morning of Tuesday, 23 April 2024 at 09h23am (UTC+8), two Royal Malaysian Navy helicopters - an Agusta Westland AW139 Maritime Operations Helicopter (HOM) and a Eurocopter Fennec, collided over the Malaysian town of Lumut during a military parade rehearsal celebrating the 90th anniversary of the Royal Malaysian Navy.
During the demonstration, one helicopter clipped the other's rotor, causing both to lose control and ended up crashing within the grounds of the Lumut Naval Base.
The AW139 crashed near the stairs of the Naval Base Stadium while the Fennec crashed near a swimming pool. Both aircraft suffered total hull loss upon impact. Ten people, seven on the AW139 and three on the Fennec, were killed. There were no survivors.
Crew and passengers
The Agusta Westland AW139, also known as M503-3 had four crew and three passengers.
Commander Muhammad Firdaus bin Ramli
Lieutenant Commander Wan Rezaudeen Kamal bin Wan Zainal Abidin
Lieutenant Commander Mohammad Amirulfaris bin Mohamad Marzukhi
Warrant Officer II (AQM) Muhammad Faisol bin Tamadun.
Warrant Officer II TNL Noorfarahimi binti Mohd Saedy (Passenger)
Petty Officer TNL Noor Rahiza binti Anuar (Passenger)
Able Rate JJM Joanna Felicia anak Rohna (Passenger)
The Eurocopter Fennec, also known as M502-6 had three crew.
Commander Muhamad Amir bin Mohamad TLDM - PM Skuadron 502
Lieutenant Sivasutan a/l Thanjappan TLDM
Warrant Officer II TMK Mohd Shahrizan bin Mohd Termizi.
The Navy “will establish an investigation board to determine the cause of the incident”, it said.
Defence Minister Mohamed Khaled Nordin said that the bodies of those killed would be brought to a hospital in Ipoh before being buried in accordance with their families' wishes. He mentioned that authorities would cover the funeral costs and explore providing compensation and benefits to the families of the victims.
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim described the incident as a “heart-wrenching tragedy” and confirmed an investigation would take place.
Malaysia has seen a number of helicopter crashes over the past decade. In 2015, Jamaluddin Jarjis, then Malaysia’s ambassador to the United States and a former government minister, was among five people killed when their helicopter crashed into jungle in central Selangor state. The following a year, six people were killed when their helicopter crashed in the Borneo state of Sarawak. The dead included then Deputy Minister of Plantation Industries and Commodities Noriah Kasnon. In 2020, two people were killed after two helicopters clipped each other and crashed to the east of Kuala Lumpur. In August last year, 10 people were killed after a private jet crashed onto a highway on the city’s west. The dead included a senior politician from the central state of Pahang and his aide, as well as two people on the ground.
Source: Al Jazeera, CNN
During the demonstration, one helicopter clipped the other's rotor, causing both to lose control and ended up crashing within the grounds of the Lumut Naval Base.
The AW139 crashed near the stairs of the Naval Base Stadium while the Fennec crashed near a swimming pool. Both aircraft suffered total hull loss upon impact. Ten people, seven on the AW139 and three on the Fennec, were killed. There were no survivors.
Crew and passengers
The Agusta Westland AW139, also known as M503-3 had four crew and three passengers.
Commander Muhammad Firdaus bin Ramli
Lieutenant Commander Wan Rezaudeen Kamal bin Wan Zainal Abidin
Lieutenant Commander Mohammad Amirulfaris bin Mohamad Marzukhi
Warrant Officer II (AQM) Muhammad Faisol bin Tamadun.
Warrant Officer II TNL Noorfarahimi binti Mohd Saedy (Passenger)
Petty Officer TNL Noor Rahiza binti Anuar (Passenger)
Able Rate JJM Joanna Felicia anak Rohna (Passenger)
The Eurocopter Fennec, also known as M502-6 had three crew.
Commander Muhamad Amir bin Mohamad TLDM - PM Skuadron 502
Lieutenant Sivasutan a/l Thanjappan TLDM
Warrant Officer II TMK Mohd Shahrizan bin Mohd Termizi.
The Navy “will establish an investigation board to determine the cause of the incident”, it said.
Defence Minister Mohamed Khaled Nordin said that the bodies of those killed would be brought to a hospital in Ipoh before being buried in accordance with their families' wishes. He mentioned that authorities would cover the funeral costs and explore providing compensation and benefits to the families of the victims.
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim described the incident as a “heart-wrenching tragedy” and confirmed an investigation would take place.
Malaysia has seen a number of helicopter crashes over the past decade. In 2015, Jamaluddin Jarjis, then Malaysia’s ambassador to the United States and a former government minister, was among five people killed when their helicopter crashed into jungle in central Selangor state. The following a year, six people were killed when their helicopter crashed in the Borneo state of Sarawak. The dead included then Deputy Minister of Plantation Industries and Commodities Noriah Kasnon. In 2020, two people were killed after two helicopters clipped each other and crashed to the east of Kuala Lumpur. In August last year, 10 people were killed after a private jet crashed onto a highway on the city’s west. The dead included a senior politician from the central state of Pahang and his aide, as well as two people on the ground.
Source: Al Jazeera, CNN
