2 Malaysian Navy Helicopters Crash During Parade Rehearsal, All 10 Crew Dead

In a tragic incident, ten crew members were killed on April 23, 2024, after two Malaysian navy helicopters crashed in midair during a rehearsal for a Royal Malaysian Navy display at the Lumut naval facility in Perak, Malaysia.

The incident occurred at 9:32 a.m. local time.

The accident, which was captured on camera and authenticated by Malaysia-based Buletin TV3, occurred when one helicopter’s front end impacted the other’s rear rotor while flying in formation.

Both helicopters went out of control and landed on the ground.

All ten crew members on board were killed in the disaster, including seven from the Maritime Operations Helicopter (HOM-AW139) team and three from the FENNEC squad.

The Royal Malaysian Navy reported that the crew members were declared dead at the site and then transported to the Lumut Army base hospital for identification.

The incident involved a Maritime Operations Helicopter (HOM-AW139) from the RMN FENNEC fleet.

Suhaimy Mohamad Suhail, senior operations commander of the fire and rescue service, confirmed the fatalities, saying the helicopters collided during flying training.

The Royal Malaysian Navy announced the formation of an Investigation Board to investigate the cause of the tragedy and encouraged the public not to distribute footage of the event to respect the victims’ families’ privacy and the ongoing investigation.

The helicopters were preparing for the Royal Malaysian Navy’s 90th anniversary celebrations the following month.

Defense Minister Mohamed Khaled Nordin confirmed that the helicopters involved were a marine operations helicopter and a Fennec military helicopter.

Efforts are underway to confirm the identities of the deceased crew members, all of whom were under the age of 40.

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim expressed his condolences to the families of the victims and promised a swift investigation into the tragedy.

This incident comes after a recent helicopter crash involving the Malaysian Coast Guard in March, in which all personnel had been rescued.

Reference: Reuters, BBC

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Source: Maritime Shipping News