A police helicopter carrying five crew members crashed near Sungai Pulai in Gelang Patah during a training mission. The Airbus AS355N chopper was taking part in the big Malaysia-Indonesia-Thailand-Singapore Maritime Operation when disaster struck. Marine Police boats raced to the scene and pulled all five people from the wreckage alive. The crew got rushed to Sultanah Aminah Hospital in Johor Baru for emergency medical checks. Nobody died in the scary crash that could have been much worse.
The helicopter took off from Tanjung Kupang police station at 9.51am before something went wrong and forced an emergency landing. Rescue teams worked fast to get the pilot and four other crew members to safety at the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency jetty. The Civil Aviation Authority confirmed the aircraft registration number as 9M-PHG and said investigators would dig into what caused the accident. The Air Accident Investigation Bureau will run the probe under Transport Ministry rules. French airplane maker Airbus built the light utility helicopter between 1975 and 2016.
Police have been flying these aging choppers since 1996 and already put out tenders last November to replace the entire five-helicopter fleet. The AS355N model remains popular with private companies and government agencies around the world. The crash happened during major military training exercises involving four countries. All crew members survived what could have been a deadly accident in the waters near Johor.
The helicopter took off from Tanjung Kupang police station at 9.51am before something went wrong and forced an emergency landing. Rescue teams worked fast to get the pilot and four other crew members to safety at the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency jetty. The Civil Aviation Authority confirmed the aircraft registration number as 9M-PHG and said investigators would dig into what caused the accident. The Air Accident Investigation Bureau will run the probe under Transport Ministry rules. French airplane maker Airbus built the light utility helicopter between 1975 and 2016.
Police have been flying these aging choppers since 1996 and already put out tenders last November to replace the entire five-helicopter fleet. The AS355N model remains popular with private companies and government agencies around the world. The crash happened during major military training exercises involving four countries. All crew members survived what could have been a deadly accident in the waters near Johor.
