Kota Kinabalu: Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Seri Dr Jeffrey Kitingan has thrown his support behind proposals to turn the site of the 1976 Double Six plane crash into a proper monument, including displaying the world’s only remaining Nomad aircraft there.
He said the Sembulan site would serve as a meaningful memorial for students besides boosting historical tourism with the vintage aircraft placed there.
“We can raise money from it,” he said.
The world’s remaining Nomad belongs to Sabah Air and is dangerous to fly anymore due no more critical parts available after the Australian manufacturer GAF closed shop in 1995 following numerous crashes that claimed the lives of 52 test pilots and technicians.
The remaining Nomad at the Sabah Air hangar similar to the one that crashed.
Jeffrey also backed calls for the Double Six tragedy which killed Sabah’s then Chief Minister and co-founding father Tun Fuad Stephens and several other top leaders to be included in history books and lessons.
“This was a very important historical incident with many implications for Sabah. We need to understand the journey of our State, so I see no issue with including detailed accounts of it in our curriculum,” he said.
The twin-engine Nomad aircraft went down in Sembulan on June 6, 1976, changing Sabah’s political landscape.
The official Malaysian and Australian investigations released last year after 47 years pointed to overloading and pilot error.
In 2022, former chief minister Datuk Seri Yong Teck Lee also suggested that the remaining Nomad be stationed at the site to provide better historical context to tourists and the public alike.
The Usno State Government acquired two Nomads in 1975 and while one crashed, the other continued to be used for several decades for mapping purposes, among others.
