KUALA LUMPUR – My Heli Club’s aviation certification has been suspended for six months by the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM), following two recent incidents.
Effective today, My Heli Club is temporarily stripped of its approval certificate for an approved training organisation under Regulation 67 of Civil Aviation Regulations 2016.
In a statement today, CAAM chief executive Captain Chester Voo said the temporary suspension came after two incidents, involving three helicopters operated by the club.
The first incident on November 8 in Taman Melawati, Selangor, saw two deaths and two people injured, while the second incident on January 1 near Klang saw two people injured.
“While private flights are allowed, the club is barred from carrying out any training flights during this time.
“CAAM is in the midst of conducting a regulatory investigation over the accidents involving the helicopters operated by My Heli Club, and a notice of suspension has been issued with immediate effect.
“This is done in fair execution of Malaysian regulations, and, most importantly, in the interest of the safety of all club members and the public.”
According to a report sighted by The Vibes, in the January 1 incident, a Robinson R66 9M-SAW private helicopter had attempted an emergency landing before it crashed.
Pilot Kharudin Dahlan, 72, is said to have injured his left hand. Meanwhile, co-pilot Moithu Kutti Mohamad, 52, suffered light injuries.
In the incident last year, authorities identified the two victims who died as Mohamed Sabri Baharom, 56, and Mohd Irfan Fikri Mohamed Rawi, 41.
Two helicopters took off from Subang and headed to Genting Sempah.
Authorities believe that the helicopters were conducting flight tests, but the pilot of one of them lost control and crashed into a small clearing.
Two others – a woman and a man – in the second aircraft sustained light injuries when conducting an emergency landing at the SJK (T) Taman Melawati field.
Police later said former Malaysian Airline System Bhd group CEO Ahmad Jauhari Yahya, who was one of the pilots, was in the helicopter that crashed in the field, with passenger Wendy Tan.
Jauhari owns My Heli Club. – The Vibes, January 5, 2020
