Tuesday July 26, 2005
Crashed copter found, four missing
BY JACK WONG
KUCHING: The fate of four people remains unknown after a Bell 206 Long Ranger helicopter they were travelling in crashed near the Sarawak-Kalimantan border in the remote Ulu Balleh in Kapit Division.
A search and rescue team spotted the wreckage and saw smoke coming at the crash site near Bukit Batu Tidan at 5.25pm yesterday.
State Deputy Commissioner of Police Senior Asst Comm I Abang Wahap Abang Julai said rescue personnel could not be despatched to the crash site due to failing light and bad weather. The search will resume early today.
The state-owned Hornbill Skyways helicopter, piloted by Capt Razali Sani, was on an aerial mapping mission in Long Singut, a 400-strong Kayan-Kenyah settlement.
Two of the passengers were surveyors from the National Survey and Mapping Department and the third a soldier from the Third Royal Ranger Regiment based in Oya Camp.
Department of Civil Aviation Sarawak director Anthony Juan said the helicopter took off from Long Singut about 10.20am.
The pilot was supposed to contact the DCA control tower at 11am, he said.
SAC Wahab said the state operations room was notified about 2.45pm that a helicopter was missing.
“We sent the police air wing to help in the search,” he added.
This is the third helicopter crash involving Hornbill Skyways in a year.
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