16-8-2024 (KUALA LUMPUR) The Air Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has released its final report on the tragic air crash that occurred in Elmina, Shah Alam last August, concluding that human error by the flight crew was the primary cause of the incident. The report, made public by the Transport Ministry on Friday, sheds light on the circumstances leading to the accident that claimed ten lives.
According to the AAIB’s findings, the crash was precipitated by the inadvertent activation of the aircraft’s lift dump spoilers during a pre-landing checklist procedure. These crucial aerodynamic devices, typically used to reduce an aeroplane’s lift and increase drag, were accidentally extended by the two-man flight crew at a critical juncture of the flight.
The report delves deeper into the chain of events, highlighting several contributing factors that compounded the situation. These include significant deviations from standard operating procedures, gaps in crew training, regulatory ambiguities, and shortcomings in communication and decision-making processes.
Lift dumpers, also known as spoilers, play a vital role in aircraft control, particularly during landing and deceleration phases. Normally, these devices are either fully deployed or retracted. Pilots engage them to decrease speed by extending them over the wings, simultaneously reducing lift and increasing drag. In most modern aircraft, lift dumpers are designed to activate automatically during landing to maintain manageable speeds.
The ill-fated flight, a Beechcraft Model 390 private jet, had departed from Langkawi International Airport and was en route to Subang Airport when disaster struck. The aircraft crashed in the Bandar Elmina area, merely two minutes shy of its intended landing, resulting in a devastating loss of life.
The accident claimed ten victims in total, including six passengers and two pilots on board the aircraft. Tragically, two individuals on the ground – an e-hailing driver and a motorcyclist working as a delivery rider – also lost their lives in the crash.
