[UPDATED] Elmina crash: plane’s survivability virtually nil, report says

KUALA LUMPUR – Those on board the aircraft in the fatal Bandar Elmina crash last month had nearly zero chance of surviving the impact, a preliminary report noted.

The Air Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) report, which was uploaded on the Transport Ministry’s (MoT) website today, said that the Beechcraft Model 390 (Premier 1) “was shattered due to the high-energy impact and post-crash fire”.

“This disintegration of the container failed to prevent intrusion of outside objects. Therefore, occupants sustained fatal injuries,” the report read. 

“Survivability was almost impossible.”

The report also said there was no evidence of any blade loss nor did the aircraft suffer from damage of foreign object instigation prior to the crash.

There was also no evidence of any blade liberation such as dents or perforations.

“There was no evidence of foreign object ingestion, bird feathers or matter to any of the engine components,” the report said.

All eight people on board the private flight from Langkawi were killed when it crashed just minutes before it was due to land at the Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport in Subang.

Two motorists along the Guthrie Corridor Expressway were also killed in the crash.

In the report, the AAIB also said the aircraft had a valid airworthiness certificate and had been maintained in compliance with the regulations.

However, the audio transcript from the cockpit voice recorder (CVR) of the Beechcraft was not included in the preliminary incident report today.

The audio of the final 30 minutes of the tragedy will be only published in the final report, which is expected to be released in August next year.

The AAIB said the voice recording was successfully retrieved but was left out from the preliminary report to help with the analyses and understanding of what happened prior to the crash.

“Initial transcription of the CVR recording has been completed, and analysis of the audio files is in progress at the time of issue of this preliminary report.

“Transcripts from the cockpit voice recording shall be included in the final report only when essential to the analyses and understanding of the accident,” it said.

According to the report, initial analysis of the recovered CVR recording has provided critical leads to uncovering the cause of the accident, with a focus on the aircraft flight control systems.

Meanwhile, the MoT, in a statement, said results from the pending inspection and examination of the related aircraft parts and components at the United States National Transportation Safety Board and original equipment manufacturer laboratories are necessary to provide collaborative or conclusive evidence in establishing the cause of the crash.

“The submission of the preliminary report within 30 days fulfils the standards of Annex 13 of the International Civil Aviation Organisation.

“The ministry wishes to express its gratitude to NTSB and also Singapore’s Transport Safety Investigation Bureau for assistance rendered to AAIB’s investigations through their respective accredited representatives, along with their technical advisors,” read the MoT statement. – The Vibes, September 15, 2023