KUALA LUMPUR – The Air Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) will release “factual statements” on the Kapar air crash, said Transport Minister Anthony Loke.
His response followed conflicting statements about the airworthiness of the ill-fated Gabriel BK160TR aircraft in the aftermath of Tuesday’s crash, which took the lives of two people on board.
“The investigations will be conducted by AAIB, and any factual statement will be issued by the bureau,” said Loke after a walkabout and the reopening of the LRT line between the Masjid Jamek and Bandaraya stations today.
In a statement yesterday, the Transport Ministry said the Gabriel BK160TR light aircraft that crashed in Kapar, Selangor, had a valid airworthiness certificate issued by the EU Aviation Safety Agency.
It also said technical investigations into the crash had been carried out by the ministry and AAIB.
“Investigations continue to determine the circumstances and cause of the accident, with the aim of saving lives and also preventing accidents in the future.
“In line with Annex 13 (Aircraft Accident and Incident Investigation) set by the International Civil Aviation Organisation, an initial report will be prepared within 30 days of the incident, followed by a full report 12 months from the accident,” the ministry said.
It also said that early investigations showed the plane had an I-POOC registration number belonging to Italian company, Blackshape S.p.A, which has Hong Kong firm Sky Media Ltd as its distributor in Southeast Asia.
“Sky Media had appointed Aviation Safety Technology Pte Ltd (AST), a Singaporean company, for marketing services for the Gabriel BK160TR.
“AST had then appointed the pilot involved in the accident to manage the aircraft for promotion purposes with Malaysian customers.”
The remains of the crash’s two victims, pilot Daniel Yee Hsiang Khoon, 31, and co-pilot Roshaan Singh Raina, 43, were found in the aircraft’s cockpit at a depth of 5ft in the ground at an oil palm plantation in Kg Tok Muda, Kapar.
The post-mortem found that both victims died due to multiple injuries from the plane crash.
Their remains were claimed by their respective families after the post-mortem process was completed. – February 17, 2024