CAAM confirms Flying Doctor Service helicopter crash near Long Lellang

KUCHING: The Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM) has confirmed that a BO-105 helicopter carrying five people on a Flying Doctor Service (FDS) flight crashed near the Long Lellang STOLport today (Sept 8).

In a statement, CAAM said the helicopter, bearing registration number 9M-LLF, was involved in the incident near the rural airfield in Sarawak.

The aviation regulator said it received notification of the incident from the Flight Information Service at 3.58 pm.

“The helicopter was operating a Flying Doctor Service flight with five persons on board including the pilot,” it said.

The brief statement did not provide further information on the identities or condition of the five people on board.

CAAM said the Air Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), which comes under the Ministry of Transport, will investigate the incident in accordance with Part XXVI of the Civil Aviation Regulations 2016.

The AAIB is responsible for investigating aviation accidents, with such investigations aimed at determining the circumstances and contributing factors surrounding an occurrence.

CAAM, meanwhile, is Malaysia’s national civil aviation regulator and a statutory body under the Ministry of Transport.

Its responsibilities include overseeing the safety, security and efficiency of the country’s civil aviation sector, including flight operations, aviation personnel licensing and air navigation services.

CAAM evolved from the former Department of Civil Aviation (DCA), which was transformed into an independent statutory body in 2018 under the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia Act 2017.

As the country’s civil aviation regulator, it is also responsible for ensuring compliance with national and international aviation safety and security standards, including standards and recommended practices established by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).