2023 Elmina Beechcraft 390 crash
 N28JV, the aircraft involved in the accident, previously registered as G-FRYL, seen in 2020. | |
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | 17 August 2023 |
| Summary | Crashed on approach; under investigation |
| Site | Elmina,Sungai Buloh,Selangor,Malaysia 03°10′52″N101°30′53″E/ 3.18111°N 101.51472°E |
| Total fatalities | 10 |
| Total survivors | 0 |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Beechcraft Model 390 (Model I) |
| Operator | Jet Valet |
| Registration | N28JV |
| Flight origin | Langkawi International Airport,Padang Matsirat,Langkawi,Kedah,Malaysia |
| Destination | Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport,Subang,Selangor,Malaysia |
| Occupants | 8 |
| Passengers | 6 |
| Crew | 2 |
| Fatalities | 8 |
| Survivors | 0 |
| Ground casualties | |
| Ground fatalities | 2 |
On 17 August 2023, aBeechcraft 390 Premier Ibusiness jet crashed onto anexpresswayinterchange nearElminainSungai Buloh,Selangor,Malaysia, killing 10 people. The aircraft was travelling fromLangkawi International AirporttoSultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airportwhen it crashed two minutes prior to landing.[1][2]
Background[edit]
The aircraft was aBeechcraft 390 Premier Ibuilt in 2004 and was first registered as G-FRYL in the United Kingdom.[3]In May 2023, the aircraft entered service with Jet Valet, a private flight service based inKuala Lumpur,and was given a new registration of N28JV.[4][5]
The aircraft carried six passengers and two pilots. The captain was 41-year-old Shahrul Kamal Roslan, he had accumulated a little over 6,275 hours of flight time, with less than 37 on the accident aircraft type. 44-year-old First Officer Heikal Aras Abdul Azim, the second-in-command, had 9,298 hours of flight time, with just a little over 3 of these hours on the Beechcraft 390 Premier I.[6]
Among the passengers wasJohari Harun,a member of thePahang State Executive Counciland a member of thePahang State Legislative AssemblyforPelangai.[7][8]
Shahrul Kamal, the pilot-in-command, previously worked forEtihad Airways,Malaysia AirlinesandAirAsia.[9]
Flight[edit]
The aircraft took off from Langkawi International Airport en route to Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport at 2:08pmMYT(06:08UTC). At 2:47pm, the aircraft made contact with the destination airport'sair traffic control(ATC). A minute later, the ATC gave clearance for landing. However, at 2:51pm, it sighted smoke plumes along the aircraft's flight path.[10]
Eyewitnesses reported erratic flying movements from the aircraft before the crash.[11]The aircraft banked to the right before descending sharply to the ground, exploding upon impact near the Elmina interchange of theGuthrie Corridor Expressway.[12]The explosion killed a motorist,[13]while a motorcyclist caught on fire and died after attempts to extinguish the flames failed.[14]
The aircraft struck the road surface at high speeds wing-first, quickly followed by the nose. It was completely destroyed on impact and engulfed by the post-crash fire. Momentum carried the aircraft wreckage forward; the main debris was located 73 m (240 ft) away from the initial impact zone. Additional wreckage and an occupant's body was found 100 m (330 ft) from the point of impact.[6]
Aftermath[edit]
Recovery operations[edit]
Only one body was recovered intact among the ten casualties in the accident.[15]Five bags of body parts were collected in the vicinity of the crash.[16]Identification of the bodies involved 20 to 30 personnel from theMinistry of Health,who are also responsible for counselling services and emotional support for family members of the victims.[17]The family members of all ten victims submitted theirDNAsamples to local police for identification purposes.[18]
Thecockpit voice recorderof the aircraft was retrieved from the crash site at 10:20pm. It was sent to the laboratories of theAir Accident Investigation Bureau(AAIB) for analysis.[19]
Reactions[edit]
Abdullah,theYang di-Pertuan Agong,andPrime MinisterAnwar Ibrahimvisited the crash site several hours later to assess the situation.[20]
TheMalaysian Communications and Multimedia Commissionissued a statement advising against the online sharing of any form of videos and photographs of bodies near the crash site as they believed such distribution would offend the families of the victims and violate basic ethics.[21]Similar statements were made by theCriminal Investigation Departmentin relation to several viral videos online.[22]
Former Prime Minister of Malaysia,Mahathir Mohamad,shared his condolences onFacebook.[23]
Investigation[edit]
The AAIB found that the aircraft was not equipped with aflight data recorder,which is not uncommon among light aircraft of this type.[24]The aircraft had veered off its original flight path prior to its fall, following the ATC's clearance for landing.[25]
Police recorded statements from the owners of vehicles that were equipped withdashcams.A forensics unit was sent to gather evidence.[26]
A preliminary accident report was released on 15 September 2023 by theMinistry of Transport.[27]It stated the aircraft had a valid airworthiness certificate and maintained in accordiance with regulations. Both pilots were described as certified to operate the flight. There was also no indication of incapacitation or physiological factors that impact the crews' behavior. Data from the cockpit voice recorder was successfully extracted but the transcript was not released. The report added that the early analysis of the data "has provided critical leads to uncovering the cause of the accident, with a focus on the aircraft flight control systems.” TheNational Transportation Safety Board(NTSB) and the american aircraft component manufacturer conducted an inspection and evaluation with results currently "pending".[28]
See also[edit]
- Japan Air Lines Flight 715,which crashed within the same area 46 years prior.
- 1976 Sabah Air GAF Nomad crash,which also stalled on approach.
- Flying Tiger Line Flight 66,which crashed while approaching the same destination airport, from the opposite end of the runway.
References[edit]
- ^Easwaran, Elill (17 August 2023)."10 dead in Elmina plane crash".MalaysiaKini.
- ^Vethasalam, Ragananthini (17 August 2023)."Elmina plane crash: Six passengers, two crew were on board, says CAAM".The Star.Archivedfrom the original on 17 August 2023.Retrieved17 August2023.
- ^Georgilidakis, Spyros (17 August 2023)."Business Jet Crashes On Car And Motorbike On Highway".Mentour Pilot.Archivedfrom the original on 18 August 2023.Retrieved18 August2023.
- ^Chua, Alfred (17 August 2023)."Malaysia starts probe of fatal business jet highway crash".Flight Global.Archivedfrom the original on 18 August 2023.Retrieved18 August2023.
- ^Lok, Jian Wen (17 August 2023)."Private jet crashes into motorbike and car in Malaysia, kills 10, including politician".The Straits Times.Archivedfrom the original on 18 August 2023.Retrieved17 August2023.
- ^abAircraft accident preliminary report: Accident Involving Fixed Wing Aircraft Hawker Beechcraft 390 Premier 1, Registration N28JV, at Elmina, Shah Alam, Selangor on 17 August 2023(PDF)(Report). Air Accident Investigation Bureau, Ministry of Transport. 15 September 2023.Retrieved9 November2023.
- ^"Exco Pahang dalam pesawat terhempas - speaker"[Exco of Pahang inside crashed plane - speaker].Malaysiakini(in Malay). 17 August 2023.Archivedfrom the original on 18 August 2023.Retrieved17 August2023.
- ^"#Elmina plane crash: Pahang exco member among those on aircraft".New Straits Times.17 August 2023.
- ^"Elmina air crash: What we know so far".New Straits Times.18 August 2023.Retrieved19 August2023.
- ^"Elmina air crash: What we know so far".New Straits Times.17 August 2023.Retrieved17 August2023.
- ^Nawawi, Muhammad Hafis; Bahaudin, Nurul Bidayah (17 August 2023)."Elmina plane crash: Ex-RMAF man says aircraft was flying erratically".New Straits Times.Retrieved17 August2023.
- ^Wong, Alexander (17 August 2023)."Elmina plane crash: Plane made banked turn before the crash".Malay Mail.Archivedfrom the original on 18 August 2023.Retrieved17 August2023.
- ^Morden, Zarah (17 August 2023)."Cops: 10 dead after private jet crashes in Shah Alam's Bandar Elmina".Malay Mail.Archivedfrom the original on 17 August 2023.Retrieved17 August2023.
- ^"Elmina plane crash: I'm sorry I couldn't save p-hailing rider, says lorry driver".The Star.18 August 2023.Retrieved19 August2023.
- ^Camoens, Austin."Elmina plane crash: Only one out of ten bodies was intact, say cops".The Star.Archivedfrom the original on 18 August 2023.Retrieved17 August2023.
- ^"Bodies of all ten victims recovered - Selangor police chief".Bernama.17 August 2023.Archivedfrom the original on 18 August 2023.Retrieved17 August2023.
- ^"Elmina air crash: Forensic team needs time to identify bodies, says Dr Zaliha".Malay Mail.Bernama.Archivedfrom the original on 18 August 2023.Retrieved17 August2023.
- ^Raja Rahim, Raja Noraina; Nawawi, Muhammad Nafis; Mohd Noor, Hafidzul Hilmi; Mohd Fadzil, Mohd Haris Fadli; Md. Zain, Ruwaida; Che Noh, Norzamira (18 August 2023)."Elmina plane crash: Next of kin of victims have provided DNA samples".New Straits Times.Retrieved18 August2023.
- ^Mohamad Radhi, Nor Ain (17 August 2023)."Police: Cockpit voice recorder retrieved from Elmina crash site".New Straits Times.Retrieved17 August2023.
- ^Kasinathan, Sathana (17 August 2023)."Agong arrives at scene of Bandar Elmina private jet crash".Malay Mail.Archivedfrom the original on 18 August 2023.Retrieved17 August2023.
- ^"Stop sharing videos, photos of Elmina air crash victims, warns MCMC".Malaysiakini.Bernama.18 August 2023.Retrieved18 August2023.
- ^Nizam, Fuad (18 August 2023)."Elmina plane crash: Respect sensitivity of victims' families, stop sharing viral videos, says Shuhaily".New Straits Times.Retrieved18 August2023.
- ^"Dr. Mahathir bin Mohamad".facebook.
- ^Nizam, Fuad (18 August 2023)."Elmina plane crash: Aircraft equipped with voice recorder, no flight data recorder says IGP".New Straits Times.Retrieved18 August2023.
- ^Sufian, Puteri Aisya (17 August 2023)."Elmina disaster: Plane veered off path minutes before crash".Malaysiakini.Retrieved18 August2023.
- ^"Elmina plane crash: Cops want to take statements from owners of dashcam footage".The Star.Retrieved2023-08-19.
- ^"Elmina Crash Report Aircraft Accident Preliminary Report A05/23".Ministry of Transportation.Retrieved2023-09-15.
- ^"Pilot was qualified, jet was airworthy, says early report on Malaysia's Elmina plane crash".The Straits Times. The Star. 15 September 2023.Retrieved27 November2023.