Helicopter engines brought out of crash site
Bernama
April 7, 2015 18:54 MYT
April 7, 2015 18:54 MYT
A file photo of rescue personnel during their operation at the crash site on Saturday.
The Air Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) retrieved another engine of the helicopter that crashed here on Saturday, at midday today.
Yesterday, the team had recovered one of the helicopter's two engines and several small components from the wreckage.
Selangor police chief, Datuk Abu Samah Mat said the second engine was airlifted out at 12.30pm to the police air unit in Sungai Besi.
Apart from that, he said the helicopter's gearbox had also been found and efforts to transport this component was expected to take about two hours.
"The gearbox is expected to be brought out at 5pm by the police air unit and sent to our Sungai Besi base. Efforts to recover large parts of the wreckage can be completed by this evening," he told reporters at the crash location.
He said 178 personnel were involved in the retrieval of smaller components today and that the effort may continue tomorrow.
"At the moment, the search is still being conducted within a 500 metres radius of the crash location and our team needs to comb the whole area to gather all evidence needed for the crash investigation," he said.
Abu Samah said for the time being, the investigations involved five experts from AAIB and one from the helicopter manufacturer, Turbomeca of France as well as four others, two each from Airbus Helicopters France and Airbus Helicopters Malaysia.
He also said police had taken statements from 17 witnesses on the crash.
Investigations into the helicopter crash which killed six people including Rompin MP Tan Sri Jamaluddin Jarjis and the Prime Minister's principal private secretary Datuk Azlin Alias entered the fourth day today.
The AS365N2 Dauphin helicopter (call sign 9M-1GB) with six people onboard crashed into a rubber smallholding in Kampung Sungai Pening, Semenyih at 4.55pm on Saturday. The other four victims were pilot Clifford William Fournier, Jamaluddin's bodyguard Razakan Seran, businessman Datuk Tan Huat Seang and a woman identified as Aidana Baizieva.