KLANG – One of the pilots aboard the plane that crashed on the Guthrie Highway near Bandar Elmina here yesterday, Shahrul Kamal Roslan, was said to be competent in handling aircraft.
Shahrul Kamal’s brother-in-law, Syed Tahir Syed Mohd, also said the victim was a jovial and caring individual, and was loved by his family and friends.
“(The victim) got the job after the pandemic, he was a competent pilot. He worked at Malaysia Airlines and Etihad Airways before this,” the 39-year-old said when met outside the Forensic Department at Tengku Ampuan Rahimah Hospital here today.
Syed Tahir said the family has been informed that the victim is undergoing an autopsy procedure, following identification processes.
“There are still several matters to be done, including DNA testing against the remains collected.”
Asked whether the victim had acted peculiarly before the incident, Syed Tahir said the late pilot had given his wife’s number to a close friend named Halim a few days before the incident.
“Usually, he does not easily share his wife’s number. But, maybe he had a bad feeling and then shared it. Halim was also the first person to contact the victim’s wife and inform her of the incident yesterday,” he said.
The incident, which occurred at about 2.50pm yesterday, resulted in 10 casualties, of which six were passengers and two crew members onboard the flight.
The remaining two victims were a motorcyclist and a motorist passing by when the plane crashed.
One of the victims aboard the Beechcraft 390 (Premiere 1) craft was confirmed to be Pelangai assemblyman Datuk Seri Johari Harun.
The plane was en route from Langkawi to Subang, and had been cleared to land at 2.48pm yesterday. – August 18, 2023