KUALA LUMPUR – A ground crew staff was killed when a Bell 206 L4 helicopter caught fire while landing to refuel in Bentong, Pahang, this morning.
Pahang Fire and Rescue Department (JBPM) public relations officer Zulfadli Zakaria confirmed the incident, adding that the helicopter’s pilot survived the fire.
The incident occurred near a hot spring pool along the old Kuala Lumpur-Bentong road.
The victim’s body has been transported to Bentong Hospital for further procedures. In a statement, the Pahang Fire and Rescue Department Operations Centre reported that upon receiving an emergency call, five personnel and an officer from the Bentong Fire and Rescue Station were dispatched, along with a Fire Rescue Tender (FRT) arriving at the scene by 10.52am.
“Witnesses reported that the helicopter lost control and overturned during the landing process.
“The ground crew member, an Indonesian engineer, was fatally injured by the helicopter’s rotor blades,” the statement read.
The pilot, also an Indonesian national, escaped unharmed, but the helicopter was completely destroyed by fire.
Firefighters quickly began efforts to extinguish the blaze using water hoses from the fire engine’s tank.
Meanwhile, the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM) confirmed in a statement today that the ill-fated helicopter, leased and operated by MHS Aviation Bhd, was conducting an aerial work flight.
The latest update from the operator, received at 10.18am by the Flight Information Services (FIS) at the Kuala Lumpur Air Traffic Control Centre (KLATCC), indicated that the helicopter was preparing to land at the designated landing site.
“Further investigations will be carried out by the Air Accident Investigation Bureau under the Transport Ministry, in accordance with Part XXVI of the Civil Aviation Regulations 2016,” the statement added. – February 6, 2025