Aussie pilot survives light aircraft crash
Published on: Thursday, June 23, 2016
Ipoh: A light wing aircraft, Gulfstream America G164B owned by the Systematic Aviation Services (SAS Air Services) Sdn Bhd based in Subang, Selangor crashed in a vegetable farm in Tringkap, Cameron Highlands Wednesday.Cameron Highlands District Police chief DSP Zainalabidin Othman said in the 1.30pm incident, the pilot Peter Hardy, 56, was reported to have sustained minor injuries."The Australian pilot sustains minor injuries in his left arm and part of his body.
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"According to initial investigations, Boh Plantation at the Sungai Palas tea plantation in Brinchang has been using the service of SAS Air Services to drop fertilisers," he said in a statement here Wednesday.He said the victim had been sent to the Sultanah Hajjah Kalsom Hospital, Tanah Rata for further treatment.Police believed the aircraft went out of control at an altitude of 5,040ft above sea level due to engine problem but investigation was still ongoing, said Zainalabidin.He said according to a statement from a witness, Cheong Yip Hin, who is also Tringkap Rela chief, saw the aircraft hovering mid-air before it crashed on a hill slope of the vegetable farm.
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"The witness claimed that while outside his house, he saw the aircraft's engine halted and spun twice before it crashed."He rushed to the scene which took five minutes from his house and found the victim safe," he said.
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Zainalabidin said the Boh company used the aircraft's service as a routine to spread fertiliser in the plantation five times a year."During the incident, there was no fertiliser in the aircraft as it was already scattered in the farm," he said.Meanwhile Cameron Highlands Fire and Rescue Station chief Muhammad Haziq Hazmi said the department received an emergency call at 1.35pm and six firemen from the Brinchang Fire and Rescue Station arrived at about 15 minutes later at the scene."We found a light aircraft has crashed near the Chinese temple at Tringkap," he said. Zainalabidin said the Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) played a role in investigating the case further.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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