PUTRAJAYA, May 14 ― Pilot Clifford Fournier neglected to inspect his helicopter prior to takeoff despite concerns that its left landing gear had sunk 20 inches into the ground in its last landing, the preliminary report into the deadly crash in Semenyih last month revealed today.
Transcript from the cockpit voice recorder (CVR) also revealed that the pilot had trusted the opinion of Kyrgystan national Aidana Baizieva in his decision making, although the Ministry of Transport (MOT) has repeatedly insisted today that she was “just a friend” of Fournier without any flight qualifications.
“The pilot was seen by a witness to have exited the helicopter and accompanied the disembarked passenger clear of the main rotor area.
“However, he did not carry out any inspection of the helicopter,” the report said in its findings section.
Lead investigator Capt Datuk Yahaya Abdul Rahman told the press that it is "standard procedure” for a pilot to get his aircraft checked in such a situation.
The MOT, however, commented that they are not placing any blame on anybody as it was not the purpose of the investigation by the Air Accident Investigation Bureau of Malaysia (AAIB).
The preliminary report on the April 30 accident said that the crash was likely caused by a left tail stabiliser that broke off due to earlier damage from its last landing in a football field.
It also revealed that the helicopter had not struck any terrain or trees during flight, and had vertically descended to the main crash site after the main rotor struck the left side of the craft.
The CVR transcript showed that Fournier was uncertain and nervous on the landing gear position, before Baizieva commented through the intercom, “It’s ok … Wheel went into the ground; it’s a soft ground there … after the rain … we are good, we are good.”
“Don’t worry, we absolutely safe,” Baizieva again commented when the helicopter lifted off for its last flight.
When asked whether Baizeva had the authority to make the call, Yahaya said that Baizeva was only giving her opinion as she had a clearer view of the left side from the passenger side.
Yahaya also insisted that Fournier had the final say in the decision making as the pilot.
English daily New Straits Times reported on April 14 that Baizieva was “actively participating” in flight operations and the exchanges between her and Fournier were mainly on the flight's operations.
It was initially reported that Baizieva was the co-pilot on the doomed flight, but this was later dismissed by police who said there was no evidence to support the claim.
Previous reports quoted Selangor police chief Datuk Abdul Samah Mat as saying that Baizieva had a keen interest in aviation and frequently followed Fournier on helicopter rides.
Six people were killed when the helicopter crashed en route from Kuantan to Sungai Besi on April 4, including Rompin MP Tan Sri Jamaluddin Jarjis and the prime minister’s private chief secretary Datuk Azlin Alias.
