Selangor plane crash may be related to wing problem, says expert; report expected next month
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A plane crash that killed 10 people in Elmina,
That is the opinion of Dr Samsuri Mokhtar, a qualified aerospace engineer who provided expert advice after Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 went missing in March 2014.
“Looking at the visual evidence alone (in the form of dashboard cam footage, which has other limitations) that is available to all of us, I would be inclined to believe the issue at hand would be more on the ‘flight control’ – more towards a problem in the wings, possibly either aileron failure or combination of both rudder and elevator,” he wrote on Facebook on Friday.
The aileron is the movable part of the airplane wing that is controlled by the pilot.
Dr Samsuri, who said he had been inundated with queries over Thursday’s crash, added that more information is needed to determine the cause, and that he has not reviewed the “complex and rapidly changing” field of aerospace for a while.
Dr Samsuri, who earned his doctorate from Britain’s University of Leeds and formerly lectured at Universiti Putra Malaysia, is also a politician. Last Tuesday, he was sworn in as Terengganu’s chief minister after Aug 12’s state elections in Malaysia.
A preliminary report is expected to be released within a month, said Malaysia’s Transport Ministry.
The Beechcraft 390 Premier 1 plane, operated by exclusive flight provider Jet Valet, crashed into a road near the Guthrie Corridor Expressway in Elmina township, killing its six passengers and two flight crew as well as two road users – a Grab driver and a motorcyclist.
It took off from Langkawi island for Subang airport in Selangor at 2.08pm. It crashed around 40 minutes later, less than 10km from the airport, shortly after receiving clearance to land.
“The main purpose of the investigation is to determine the cause... in order to save lives and prevent similar incidents in the future,” the Transport Ministry said on Saturday, noting that the probe is not intended to apportion blame.
It urged the public and witnesses to share video recordings of the incident with its Air Accident Investigation Bureau, instead of circulating them online, which could interfere with investigations and upset the victims’ families.
Transport Minister Anthony Loke said on Thursday that the plane appeared to veer off course moments before the crash. More than one car’s dashcam footage shows the plane nosediving into the road before bursting into flames.
The police said aviation experts from the United States will help to inspect the wreckage on Monday.
Malaysia’s civil aviation authorities will also conduct investigations into all Beechcraft 390 Premier 1 planes used in the country, Mr Loke said on Friday.
The accident on Thursday was the fifth crash over 46 years recorded in Malaysia involving planes built by American firm Hawker Beechcraft, Bernama reported.
