KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 17 — The light plane that crashed in Kapar, Selangor, killing two people onboard, was supposed to be grounded since last year, according to the aircraft’s Italy-based manufacturer.
New Straits Times reported that Blackshape S.p.A, which manufactured the ill-fated Gabriel BK160TR aircraft, said a "no fly-order" for the plane was issued by the company on October 25, 2023 and had sent several reminders to the aircraft's distributors.
"The aircraft was taken into the air, in flagrant and patent violation of a grounding' order.
"This absolute no-fly order originated from the impossibility of verifying the condition of use and maintenance of the aircraft,” Blackshape said in a statement to the English-language newspaper that was reported last night.
The disclosure came to light after it was earlier reported that the Gabriel BK160TR aircraft had valid airworthiness certification under European safety standards, at the time of the incident.
The report, quoting the statement, also said that there was a lack of verified information and reliable reporting regarding the users' compliance with stringent aviation maintenance requirements, as well as procedures.
Blackshape said it reserved the right to take legal action for compensation and damages against those responsible for the violations and those who spread "false and defamatory" information to protect its reputation.
The company also expressed its condolences for the victims of Tuesday's accident.
In the 1.45pm incident, pilot Daniel Yee Hsiang Khoon, 30, and co-pilot Roshaan Singh Raina, 43, were believed to have been buried in the aircraft cockpit more than two metres deep in the ground, after it crashed in an oil palm plantation area in Kampung Tok Muda, Kapar, Selangor.
The Gabriel BK160TR aircraft, operated by Air Adventure Flying Club, took off from the Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport in Subang, at 1.28pm, for a recreational flight.
It was reported that a Air Adventure Flying Club representative said that the aircraft involved belonged to a foreign company that uses it to promote the aircraft in Malaysia.
Yesterday, the Transport Ministry said the Gabriel BK160TR aircraft had a valid airworthiness certification under the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).
The ministry said authorities are investigating the cause of the accident and will release a preliminary report within 30 days.
The full report is expected to be completed no later than 12 months from the date of the crash
