BENTONG HELICOPTER CRASH: SITE INVESTIGATION TO CONCLUDE TODAY

KUANTAN, Feb 7 (Bernama) -- Investigations at the site where a helicopter crashed on landing at Batu 9, Jalan Lama Bentong-Kuala Lumpur are expected to be completed today, according to police.

Bentong district police chief Supt Zaiham Mohd Kahar told Bernama today that the Transport Ministry's Air Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) is still conducting investigations at the scene, and the helicopter wreckage will be removed once the probe is completed.

Yesterday, the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia said AAIB would conduct further investigations under Part XXVI of the Civil Aviation Regulations 2016.

The accident involved a Bell 206L4 helicopter, which reportedly overturned and caught fire while landing to refuel.

The incident claimed the life of an Indonesian ground crew, engineer Finsen Reskey Sembiring, 27, who was struck by the helicopter’s rotor blades.

However, the Indonesian pilot survived the incident.

Zaiham said the autopsy on the engineer has been completed and the details of the post-mortem findings and other updates on the crash investigation will be disclosed later.

“The autopsy at Bentong Hospital was completed at 3 pm today. I am still gathering relevant information,” he said.

A check at Bentong Hospital this afternoon found several individuals, believed to be representatives from the victim’s company, waiting to obtain the autopsy results.

However, they declined to be interviewed.

Bernama’s checks at the crash site today found the helicopter wreckage still present, with several vehicles from the Royal Malaysia Police and the Transport Ministry at the scene. 

-- BERNAMA