By Mohd Faizal Hassan
KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 9 (NNN-BERNAMA) — The accident involving two Guimbal Cabri G2 (G2CA) helicopters, which saw one of them crashing in Taman Melawati near Malaysia’s Klang Valley town on Sunday is the first such incident in the country involving the aircraft model.
A search on the aviation website at https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/type/G2CA also found that Sunday’s incident was the 45th and 46th recorded since the first one in Baden, Germany on April 19, 2010.
The search also revealed five more incidents involving the same helicopter model reported this year, namely two in the United States and one each in Switzerland, Poland and Australia.
According to an internet search, the helicopter, which is manufactured by French company, Guimbal, is equipped with a three-blade rotor and can fly continuously for four and a half hours with a maximum speed of 100 knots.
Commenting on Sunday’s crash, aviation expert Prof Dr Mohd Harridon Mohamed Suffian told Bernama that this type of aircraft is often used for training purposes, adding that the three main rotor blades made it more stable when performing the auto-rotation manoeuvre.
He said auto-rotation could be engaged when the helicopter engine is not functioning in order to safely land the aircraft.
Dr Mohd Harridon said if there was no black box in the helicopter, an investigation could be launched to determine the cause of the crash covering various aspects including conducting a video analysis of the incident, taking statements from witnesses, mapping of the aircraft components found, conducting crush analysis and reviewing the maintenance records.
The Sunday accident involved two G2CA type helicopters (9M-HCA and 9MHCB), which were believed to be conducting flight training when they collided mid-air after taking off from the Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport (LTSAAS) in Subang, each with two occupants.
The crash claimed the lives of former Royal Malaysian Navy officer Mohamed Sabri Baharom, 56, and Mohd Irfan Fikri Mohamed Rawi, 41.
The two survivors were former Malaysia Airlines Berhad chief executive officer Ahmad Jauhari Yahya, 66, and Tan Chai Eian, 51, who managed to perform an emergency landing in a nearby area.
–NNN-BERNAMA