PUTRAJAYA, April 12 — The Malaysian government’s declassified 1977 investigation report on the “Double Six” tragedy in 1976 found that there was no proof of “sabotage, fire or explosion” in the fatal plane crash which killed then Sabah chief minister Tun Fuad Stephens and 10 others onboard.
In the 1977 investigation report declassified today, the Civil Aviation Department’s then chief inspector of accidents Omar Saman made several conclusions regarding the aircraft and crash.
He said the aircraft had been maintained according to schedule, and that the pilot was licensed, and that the aircraft was loaded within the prescribed weight limit.
“There was no evidence that any pre-crash defect or malfunction of the aircraft, its engine or service was a causal factor.
“There was no evidence of sabotage, fire or explosion,” he said in the 21-page report which was previously a classified document.
In an earlier section of the report which covered the analysis of the fatal crash, it said the aircraft was found to be incorrectly loaded for the flight, as the centre of gravity position was significantly beyond the aft limit.
The report also said the pilot was not suffering from the effects of alcohol or drugs, but that there was evidence to suggest he was feeling tired and had a mild stomach disorder as he had complained of being unwell.
On the day of the crash, the pilot had already flown twice between Labuan and Kota Kinabalu — with the first flight at 6.35am and the second flight at 1.10pm — before piloting the final flight at 3.09pm from Labuan.
By the time of the fatal accident at 3.42pm, the pilot would have been on official duty for more than an hour exceeding the company duty period of 10 hours.
Among the findings made was that the aircraft’s centre of gravity — the point at which it would be balanced — was “calculated to be well outside the aft limit”.
The report stated the cause of the crash to be due to the pilot losing control of the airplane, which was linked to the centre of gravity position being beyond the approved limit.
The full report dated January 25, 1977 can be found here.
The seven-member team who carried out the investigation are Omar himself, the Royal Malaysian Air Force’s Lt. Col Su Kien Chin and staff officer engineering Lt. Col Lau Chong See from its research and development department and air headquarters respectively, the Civil Aviation Department’s Flight Calibration Unit’s EV Read and its Airworthiness Unit’s RC Williams, as well as Australia’s Department of Transport’s accredited representatives PE Choquenot and C. Sutherland.
On June 6, 1976, the Australian-manufactured aircraft Nomad N22B was carrying one pilot, Fuad and nine other passengers from Labuan to Kota Kinabalu, Sabah.
When it was near the Kota Kinabalu airport and was already cleared for landing, the airplane was seen spinning and steeply nose-diving into the sea near the airport.
Based on the 1977 investigation report, the aircraft was completely destroyed by impact forces and the results of immersion in salt water, and the airplane was stated to be substantially damaged beyond repair.
The report said: “This was not a survivable accident”.
In the 1976 ‘Double Six’ plane crash, apart from Fuad, those who died were Sabah housing and local government minister Datuk Peter Joinod Mojuntin; Sabah communications and public works minister Datuk Chong Thien Vun; Sabah finance minister Datuk Salleh Sulong; deputy chief minister’s assistant Datuk Darius Binion; Sabah finance minister’s permanent secretary Datuk Wahid Peter Andau; Sabah’s economic planning unit director Dr Syed Hussein Wafa; Malaysia’s finance minister’s private secretary Ishak Atan; Sabah chief minister Fuad’s bodyguard Corporal Said Mohammad; Sabah chief minister Fuad’s son Johari Fuad Stephens; and pilot Gandhi J. Nathan.
On March 8, the High Court in Kota Kinabalu ordered the Malaysian government to declassify its investigative report on the “Double Six” tragedy within three months or by June 8.
The Malaysian government on March 10 filed an appeal against the High Court order to declassify the report, but Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim on April 5 (last Wednesday) announced that the Cabinet has agreed to declassify the report and not keep it as an official secret.
Today, Transport Minister Anthony Loke announced that the process to declassify the report was completed on April 6, and released the report publicly on the ministry’s website.
The investigation report was completed on January 25, 1977 and was presented to the Cabinet in March 1977, but its findings were never made public, resulting in the crash victims’ families not knowing the facts and cause of the tragedy for almost 47 years.
