KUCHING, Oct 5 2026: Bandar Kuching Member of Parliament Dr Kelvin Yii has called for a thorough investigation to be conducted by the police into a flying doctor service (FDS) helicopter that crashed in Long Lellang, Baram, last month.
He said he does not question the integrity of the investigation, but he will not accept any attempt to cover up the truth.
"If it is found that maintenance was neglected or warnings were ignored, this is no ordinary accident. It must be investigated by the police as a case of potential criminal negligence, and those responsible must face legal action," he said during the debate in Parliament today.
Dr Yii also called for a speedy payment of compensation to be made to the families of the victims.
"It is almost a month has passed, yet the families of Alexson and Jessie still do not know the amount or the date of the compassionate payment.
"Alexson’s widow, Stephanie, is a housewife with two children aged five and two," he said, referring to assistant medical officer Alexson Adit Henry and staff nurse Jessie Paya.
THe other three victims are pilot Captain Zainol Ariq, medical officer Dr Ainul Baroah Kamaruddin and staff nurse Debra Moset.
Dr Yii also urged the federal government to provide additional compensation to all five victims' families — beyond the compassionate payment— including education funds for the victims' children up to the university level and monthly living allowances for the dependents who have lost their breadwinner.
"I hope the Minister of Health can announce the amount and the date to all five families as soon as possible, and assign a dedicated officer to each family to assist them in their recovery process," Dr Yii said.
On September 8, 2026, a FDS helicopter crashed in Long Lellang, Ulu Baram. Captain Zainol, Dr Ainul, Alexson, and nurses Debra Moset and Jessie Paya Jok lost their lives while delivering medical care to remote communities.
Dr Yii said they deserved safe aircraft and to return home to their families, saying that their deaths cannot be treated merely as accident statistics.
The BO-105 helicopter, 9M-LLF, was operated by Layang-Layang Aerospace. It was manufactured in 1991. It was 35 years old, and according to Dr Yii production of this model had ceased in 2001.
He said preliminary reports indicate an engine fire prior to impact.
He asked two days after the crash, the company grounded its entire BO-105 fleet, if grounding the fleet was necessary after five lives were lost, why was it not done sooner?
He said a Certificate of Airworthiness on paper means nothing if actual maintenance is not carried out.
He said in the public interest he asked when was the FDS contract awarded to Layang-Layang, at what value, and was it through an open tender?
He also asked if the contract stipulate an age limit for the aircraft and why were the medical personnel still being flown in a model that ceased production 25 years ago.
"When did the Ministry of Health last independently audit the company's maintenance records and when will the AAIB’s preliminary report be released to the public?" he asked.
No comments:
Post a Comment