2023 Elmina Beechcraft 390 crash

Last updated

2023 Elmina Beechcraft 390 crash
G-FRYL - Raytheon 390 Premier I - RB-97 - Manhatten Jet Charter - Belfast International Airport - Thursday - 25-06-2020.jpg
N28JV, the aircraft involved in the accident under a previous registration in 2020
Accident
Date17 August 2023 (2023-08-17)
Summary Loss of control due to pilot error
Site Elmina, Sungai Buloh, Selangor, Malaysia
03°10′52″N101°30′53″E / 3.18111°N 101.51472°E / 3.18111; 101.51472
Total fatalities10
Total survivors0
Aircraft
Aircraft type Beechcraft Model 390 (Model I)
OperatorJet Valet
Registration N28JV
Flight origin Langkawi International Airport
Destination Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport
Occupants8
Passengers6
Crew2
Fatalities8
Survivors0
Ground casualties
Ground fatalities2

On 17 August 2023, a Beechcraft 390 Premier I business jet crashed onto an expressway interchange near Elmina in Sungai Buloh, Selangor, Malaysia, killing 10 people. The aircraft was travelling from Langkawi International Airport to Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport when it crashed two minutes prior to landing. [1] [2]

Contents

Background

The aircraft was a Beechcraft 390 Premier I built 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 in Kuala Lumpur, and was given a new registration of N28JV. [4] [5]

The aircraft carried six passengers and two pilots. The pilot in command was 41-year-old Captain Shahrul Kamal Roslan; the second in command was 44-year-old First Officer Heikal Aras Abdul Azim. Captain Shahrul Kamal had just over 6,275 hours of flight time, including less than 37 hours on the type of aircraft involved in the accident, while First Officer Heikal Aras had 9,298 hours of flight time, including just over 3 hours on the Beechcraft 390 Premier I aircraft. [6] [ failed verification ]

Among the passengers was Johari Harun, a member of the Pahang State Executive Council and a member of the Pahang State Legislative Assembly for Pelangai. [7] [8]

Captain Shahrul Kamal previously worked for Etihad Airways, Malaysia Airlines and AirAsia. [9]

Flight

Plane crash site in 2021, Persiaran Elmina Elmina Interchange 1.jpg
Plane crash site in 2021, Persiaran Elmina

The aircraft took off from Langkawi International Airport en route to Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport at 2:08 pm MYT (06:08 UTC). At 2:47 pm, the aircraft made contact with the destination airport's air traffic control (ATC). A minute later, the ATC gave clearance for landing. However, at 2:51 pm, 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 the Guthrie 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

Recovery operations

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 the Ministry 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 their DNA samples to local police for identification purposes. [18]

The cockpit voice recorder of the aircraft was retrieved from the crash site at 10:20 pm. It was sent to the laboratories of the Air Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) for analysis. [19]

Reactions

Abdullah, the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, and Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim visited the crash site several hours later to assess the situation. [20]

The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission issued 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 the Criminal Investigation Department in relation to several viral videos online. [22]

Former Prime Minister of Malaysia, Mahathir Mohamad, shared his condolences on Facebook. [23]

Investigation

The AAIB found that the aircraft was not equipped with a flight 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 with dashcams. A forensics unit was sent to gather evidence. [26]

A preliminary accident report was released on 15 September 2023 by the Ministry 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." The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the American aircraft component manufacturer conducted an inspection and evaluation with results currently "pending". [28]

The final report was released on 16 August 2024. Investigators cited pilot error as the main cause of the crash, in which the pilots inadvertently deployed the aircraft's lift dump spoilers, resulting in a sudden loss of lift. The report also concluded that the pilots were in the wrong seats, with inadequate training and communication also being contributing factors to the crash. [29]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport</span> Airport in Subang, Malaysia

Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport — formerly Subang International Airport/Kuala Lumpur International Airport, often called Subang Airport — is an airport located in Subang, Petaling District, Selangor, Malaysia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spoiler (aeronautics)</span> Device for reducing lift and increasing drag on aircraft wings

In aeronautics, a spoiler is a device which intentionally reduces the lift component of an airfoil in a controlled way. Most often, spoilers are plates on the top surface of a wing that can be extended upward into the airflow to spoil the streamline flow. By so doing, the spoiler creates a controlled stall over the portion of the wing behind it, greatly reducing the lift of that wing section. Spoilers differ from airbrakes in that airbrakes are designed to increase drag without disrupting the lift distribution across the wing span, while spoilers disrupt the lift distribution as well as increasing drag.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Malaysian Air Force</span> Air warfare branch of Malaysias military forces

The Royal Malaysian Air Force was formed on 2 June 1958 as the Royal Federation of Malaya Air Force. However, its roots can be traced back to the Malayan Auxiliary Air Force formations of the British Royal Air Force in then-colonial British Malaya. The Royal Malaysian Air Force operates a mix of modern American, European and Russian-made aircraft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">China Airlines Flight 676</span> 1998 airplane landing crash in present-day Taoyuan City, Taiwan

China Airlines Flight 676 was a scheduled international passenger flight. On Monday, 16 February 1998, the Airbus A300 jet airliner operating the flight crashed into a road and residential area in Tayuan, Taoyuan County, near Chiang Kai-shek International Airport, Taiwan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Malaysian Airline System Flight 653</span> 1977 aviation hijacking

Malaysian Airline System Flight 653 (MH653) was a scheduled domestic flight from Penang to Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, operated by Malaysian Airline System (MAS). On the evening of 4 December 1977, the Boeing 737-200 aircraft flying the service crashed at Tanjung Kupang, Johor, Malaysia, while purportedly being diverted by hijackers to Singapore. It was the first fatal air crash for Malaysia Airlines, with all 93 passengers and 7 crew killed. It is also the deadliest aviation disaster to occur on Malaysian soil. The flight was apparently hijacked as soon as it reached cruise altitude. The circumstances in which the hijacking and subsequent crash occurred remain unsolved.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beechcraft 1900</span> Commuter airliner and light transport aircraft

The Beechcraft 1900 is a twin-engine turboprop regional airliner manufactured by Beechcraft. It is also used as a freight aircraft and corporate transport, and by several governmental and military organizations. With customers favoring larger regional jets, then-owner Raytheon ended production in October 2002.

Ford Airport is a county-owned public-use airport in Dickinson County, Michigan, United States. It is located three miles west of the central business district of Iron Mountain, in the central Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The airport offers scheduled passenger service by one commercial airline, SkyWest Airlines, an affiliate of Delta Connection, which is subsidized by the Essential Air Service program. It is also a hub for FedEx Feeder operator CSA Air.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beechcraft Premier I</span> American light business jet

The Beechcraft Premier I is a light business jet aircraft manufactured by the Beechcraft division of Hawker Beechcraft. The aircraft was designed to compete with the Cessna CitationJet series of aircraft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Colgan Air Flight 9446</span> 2003 aviation accident near Massachusetts, United States

Colgan Air Flight 9446 was a repositioning flight operated by Colgan Air for US Airways Express. On August 26, 2003, the Beechcraft 1900D crashed into water 300 feet (91 m) offshore from Yarmouth, Massachusetts, shortly after taking off from Barnstable Municipal Airport in Hyannis. Both pilots were killed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Japan Air Lines Flight 715</span> 1977 aviation accident

Japan Air Lines Flight 715 was an airplane that crashed in Malaysia on 27 September 1977. It was a McDonnell Douglas DC-8, registration JA8051, on a flight from Haneda Airport in Tokyo, Japan, to Singapore International Airport in Singapore, with stopovers at Kai Tak Airport in Kowloon Bay, Hong Kong, and Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport in Subang, Malaysia. Ten crew and 69 passengers were on board. It was the second-deadliest aviation disaster to occur in Malaysia at the time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">JS Air Flight 201</span> 2010 aviation accident

On 5 November 2010, JS Air Flight 201, a Beechcraft 1900 passenger aircraft on a charter service from Karachi to the Bhit Shah gas field in Sindh, Pakistan, crashed near Karachi's Jinnah International Airport, after suffering an engine malfunction at take-off. All 21 people on board were killed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Malaysia Airlines Flight 370</span> Passenger aircraft flight that disappeared in 2014

Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 (MH370/MAS370) was an international passenger flight operated by Malaysia Airlines that disappeared from radar on 8 March 2014, while flying from Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Malaysia to its planned destination, Beijing Capital International Airport in China. The cause of its disappearance has not been determined. It is widely regarded as the greatest mystery in aviation history, and remains the single deadliest case of aircraft disappearance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indonesia AirAsia Flight 8501</span> 2014 plane crash in the Java Sea

Indonesia AirAsia Flight 8501 was a scheduled international passenger flight operated by Indonesia AirAsia from Surabaya, Java, Indonesia, to Singapore. On 28 December 2014, the Airbus A320 flying the route crashed into the Java Sea, killing all 162 people on board. When search operations ended in March 2015, only 116 bodies had been recovered.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">East Coast Jets Flight 81</span> 2008 aviation accident

East Coast Jets Flight 81 was a business jet flight operated by East Coast Jets that crashed on July 31, 2008 while attempting a go-around at Owatonna Degner Regional Airport near Owatonna, Minnesota, killing all eight occupants on board. The flight originated in Atlantic City International Airport, and was scheduled to land in Owatonna. The crew made a go-around attempt after the aircraft touched down, but it overran the runway, hit the Instrument Landing System localizer antenna at an altitude of approximately 5 ft (1.5 m), stalled and crashed, with the main wreckage coming to rest 2,400 ft (730 m) from the runway end.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2018 Iran Bombardier Challenger crash</span>

On 11 March 2018, a Bombardier Challenger 604 private jet, owned by Turkish group Başaran Holding, crashed in the Zagros Mountains near Shahr-e Kord, Iran, while returning to Istanbul from Sharjah. All three crew members and eight passengers on board were killed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">China Eastern Airlines Flight 5735</span> March 2022 plane crash in Southern China

China Eastern Airlines Flight 5735 was a scheduled domestic passenger flight from Changshui International Airport, Kunming, to Baiyun International Airport, Guangzhou in China. At 14:23 CST on 21 March 2022, the Boeing 737-89P aircraft descended steeply mid-flight and struck the ground at high speed in Teng County, Wuzhou, Guangxi, killing all 132 passengers and crew on board. Multiple reports say that the airplane was deliberately crashed, but the official investigation by the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) is ongoing. It is the third deadliest air crash in China after China Southern Airlines Flight 3943 and China Northwest Airlines Flight 2303, the deadliest air accident in China Eastern Airlines' history, and the deadliest plane crash in 2022.

Many aviation-related events took place in 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Johari Harun</span> Malaysian politician (1970–2023)

Johari bin Harun was a Malaysian politician who served as Member of the Pahang State Executive Council (EXCO) in the Barisan Nasional (BN) state administration under Menteri Besar Wan Rosdy Wan Ismail from December 2022 and Member of the Pahang State Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Pelangai from November 2022 to his death in August 2023 respectively. He was a member and Division Chief of Bentong of the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), a component party of the BN coalition. He was also the group CEO of Gading Group.

References

  1. Easwaran, Elill (17 August 2023). "10 dead in Elmina plane crash". Malaysiakini . Retrieved 17 August 2023.
  2. Vethasalam, Ragananthini (17 August 2023). "Elmina plane crash: Six passengers, two crew were on board, says CAAM". The Star. Archived from the original on 17 August 2023. Retrieved 17 August 2023.
  3. Georgilidakis, Spyros (17 August 2023). "Business Jet Crashes On Car And Motorbike On Highway". Mentour Pilot. Archived from the original on 18 August 2023. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
  4. Chua, Alfred (17 August 2023). "Malaysia starts probe of fatal business jet highway crash". Flight Global. Archived from the original on 18 August 2023. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
  5. Lok, Jian Wen (17 August 2023). "Private jet crashes into motorbike and car in Malaysia, kills 10, including politician". The Straits Times . Archived from the original on 18 August 2023. Retrieved 17 August 2023.
  6. 1 2 Aircraft 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. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
  7. "Exco Pahang dalam pesawat terhempas - speaker" [Exco of Pahang inside crashed plane - speaker]. Malaysiakini (in Malay). 17 August 2023. Archived from the original on 18 August 2023. Retrieved 17 August 2023.
  8. "#Elmina plane crash: Pahang exco member among those on aircraft". New Straits Times. 17 August 2023.
  9. "Elmina air crash: What we know so far". New Straits Times . 18 August 2023. Retrieved 19 August 2023.
  10. "Elmina air crash: What we know so far". New Straits Times . 17 August 2023. Retrieved 17 August 2023.
  11. Nawawi, Muhammad Hafis; Bahaudin, Nurul Bidayah (17 August 2023). "Elmina plane crash: Ex-RMAF man says aircraft was flying erratically". New Straits Times . Retrieved 17 August 2023.
  12. Wong, Alexander (17 August 2023). "Elmina plane crash: Plane made banked turn before the crash". Malay Mail . Archived from the original on 18 August 2023. Retrieved 17 August 2023.
  13. Morden, Zarah (17 August 2023). "Cops: 10 dead after private jet crashes in Shah Alam's Bandar Elmina". Malay Mail . Archived from the original on 17 August 2023. Retrieved 17 August 2023.
  14. "Elmina plane crash: I'm sorry I couldn't save p-hailing rider, says lorry driver". The Star . 18 August 2023. Retrieved 19 August 2023.
  15. Camoens, Austin. "Elmina plane crash: Only one out of ten bodies was intact, say cops". The Star . Archived from the original on 18 August 2023. Retrieved 17 August 2023.
  16. "Bodies of all ten victims recovered - Selangor police chief". Bernama. 17 August 2023. Archived from the original on 18 August 2023. Retrieved 17 August 2023.
  17. "Elmina air crash: Forensic team needs time to identify bodies, says Dr Zaliha". Malay Mail . Bernama. Archived from the original on 18 August 2023. Retrieved 17 August 2023.
  18. 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 . Retrieved 18 August 2023.
  19. Mohamad Radhi, Nor Ain (17 August 2023). "Police: Cockpit voice recorder retrieved from Elmina crash site". New Straits Times . Retrieved 17 August 2023.
  20. Kasinathan, Sathana (17 August 2023). "Agong arrives at scene of Bandar Elmina private jet crash". Malay Mail . Archived from the original on 18 August 2023. Retrieved 17 August 2023.
  21. "Stop sharing videos, photos of Elmina air crash victims, warns MCMC". Malaysiakini . Bernama. 18 August 2023. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
  22. Nizam, Fuad (18 August 2023). "Elmina plane crash: Respect sensitivity of victims' families, stop sharing viral videos, says Shuhaily". New Straits Times . Retrieved 18 August 2023.
  23. "Dr. Mahathir bin Mohamad". www.facebook.com.
  24. Nizam, Fuad (18 August 2023). "Elmina plane crash: Aircraft equipped with voice recorder, no flight data recorder says IGP". New Straits Times . Retrieved 18 August 2023.
  25. Sufian, Puteri Aisya (17 August 2023). "Elmina disaster: Plane veered off path minutes before crash". Malaysiakini . Retrieved 18 August 2023.
  26. "Elmina plane crash: Cops want to take statements from owners of dashcam footage". The Star. Retrieved 2023-08-19.
  27. "Elmina Crash Report Aircraft Accident Preliminary Report A05/23". Ministry of Transportation. Retrieved 2023-09-15.
  28. "Pilot was qualified, jet was airworthy, says early report on Malaysia's Elmina plane crash". The Straits Times. The Star. 15 September 2023. Retrieved 27 November 2023.
  29. "Aircraft Accident Final Report A05/23" (PDF). Ministry of Transport. 16 August 2024. Archived (PDF) from the original on 16 August 2024. Retrieved 16 August 2024.