Nuri crash: No survivors... Four found in wreckage, two outside
By : Leslie Andres, Adrian David, V. Shuman, Lee Shi-lan, Fadhal Illahi Abd Ghani, Lydia Gomez, Cynthia Lee, S. Aruldass and Zalifah Mohd Yatim
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GENTING HIGHLANDS: The S61-A4 Sikorsky Nuri helicopter that went off the radar on Friday with six crew members aboard was found in a 300-metre-deep ravine about 5km from Genting Sempah here yesterday.

Searchers found the S61-A4 Sikorsky Nuri helicopter in a 300m deep ravine in Genting Highlands, Pahang.
Searchers found the S61-A4 Sikorsky Nuri helicopter in a 300m deep ravine in Genting Highlands, Pahang.
Four of the crew were found inside the wreckage by a Senoi Praaq team at 1.24pm.

Two others were found outside the helicopter.


They were Capt Nor Azlan Termuzi, 29, from Kuala Lumpur; co-pilot Capt Nor Intan Asykeen Mohd Arof, 27, from Butterworth; air quartermaster Flight Sergeant Khusnizam Ariffin, 34, from Kelantan; avionics technician Flight Sergeant Mohamad Azmie Md Yassin, 35, from Batu Berendam, Malacca; airframe technician Leading Aircraftsman Saifulizam Alias, 28, from Muar, Johor; and engine technician Leading Aircraftsman Muhammad Ridzuan Ahmad, 27, from Pokok Sena, Kedah.

Senoi Praaq trackers who had been scouring the area around Gunung Buah for hours finally discovered twisted and broken metal parts shortly before they came upon the wreckage.
The site of the crash, off Km36.3 of the Kuala Lumpur-Karak Highway, is inaccessible to vehicles and can only be reached after a three-hour trek through thick foliage.

"It is believed the two bodies were flung out of the Nuri by the impact of the crash.

"The rotor had yet to be found," a spokesman for the search-and-rescue team said.

He said the crash site was a three-hour walk from the KL-Karak Highway and 5km from Genting Sempah.

The bodies would be airlifted today as efforts to do so yesterday failed due to diminishing light.

It is understood that the remains would be sent to the Kuala Lumpur Hospital.

About 1,600 search-and-rescue personnel were involved in the search operation which began soon after the helicopter disappeared, after taking off on Friday.

At press time, army rangers were still searching for alternative routes to the crash site.

Scores of people had reported seeing the helicopter flying low in the vicinity of Hulu Yam, Genting View, Genting Bidai and Goh Tong Jaya on Friday.


CHRONOLOGY OF EVENTS

Day One: July 13

- Took off from RMAF Sg Besi base around 9.25am heading for RMAF base in Kuantan

- Lost radio contact with tower at 9.35am

- One of the victims contacted the control tower at 10am before the call was cut off

- RMAF launched search-and-rescue operation comprising 130 personnel from the navy, Fire and Rescue Department, General Operations Force and police from Kuantan

- Witnesses saw the helicopter flying low and heading towards direction of Awana Hotel and disappearing

- Aerial search was called off at 8.30pm while the ground S&R continued.

Day Two: July 14

- S&R operations intensified with aerial and ground scouring in wider area including Genting Sempah, where the helicopter last appeared on radar

- Special air unit Paskau of RMAF,VAT 69 police commando unit and Orang Asli joined in the search

- Scanning using Airborne Hyperspectral Imaging Sensor was used to help trace the missing helicopter

- Crew transmitter of the missing helicopter was reported to be malfunctioning

- The satellite system could not be used to trace the missing Nuri as the aircraft did not emit any signals

- RMAF set up an inquiry board headed by Lt-Col Said Islam to carry out investigation once the helicopter was found

- S&R operations were hampered by the dense forest, steep incline and thick mist enveloping the area

- Aerial search called off at 6pm.

Day Three: July 15

- A Sea Hawk helicopter from the US navy, which is equipped with infrared cameras, joined the aerial search.

- Sultan of Pahang Sultan Ahmad Shah made an aerial tour of the area and offered his personal helicopter,a Eurocopter E-C155, for the S&R operations.

- Thick mist hampered operations.

Day Four: July 16

- Some 1,000 personnel and more than 15 helicopters andplanes involved in the S&R operations covered the hilly terrain and the Ulu Yam area

- Bad weather again hampered the S&R operations in the evening after fine weather in the morning

- Witnesses claimed to smell stench engulfing Tanah Rimba in Janda Baik

- Police and Rela personnel were despatched to investigate the area at 7pm, but could not detect any signs to support the claim that the helicopter had crashed there

- S&R operations called off at 10pm due to darkness and dangerous hilly terrain.

Day Five: July 17

- S&R operations expanded to cover Batang Kali

- Data from the airborne hyperspectral imaging sensor showed the aircraft might be in the vicinity of Bukit Tinggi

- Wreckage of the helicopter, with its rotor blades detached, was found by the ground S&R team at 5km northwest of Genting Sempah at 1.24pm

- All six RMAF crew on board were killed and their bodies were found. - Bernama


Nuri helicopter crashes in the past

- April 25, 1969: Four killed in Kuching, Sarawak

- March 11, 1972: Four killed in Gambang, Pahang

- April 26, 1976: 11 killed in Gubir, Kedah

- July 19, 1980: 18 survived in Ipoh, Perak

- April 25, 1981: Two, including the pilot, killed at Kuching Airport with 13 survivors

- July 11, 1981: 11 survived in Batu Melintang, Perak

- Nov 14, 1989: 16 killed in Lundu, Sarawak

- Aug 28, 1990: Nine survived during Merdeka Day rehearsals in Rawang, Selangor

- Jan 16, 1991: 12 survived at Kampung Parit Zin near Muar, Johor

- June 11, 1991: Six killed in Banding, Perak

- July 11, 1991: Seven killed in Banding, Perak

- Oct 16, 1996: Two killed and three go missing while rescuing cargo ship sailors at sea in Muka Head, Penang

- March 19, 1997: 11 in two Nuris killed at Bukit Batangga, Mandulong in Sipitang, Sabah

- March 6, 2004: Two killed at Permatang Tengah in Butterworth, Penang

- March 30, 2004: Three survivors at Bukit Kalam near Labuan

- Aug 15, 2004: Three killed with seven survivors at Long Seridan, Sarawak