10 killed as private business plane crashes on highway in Malaysia
The plane crashed into a car and a motorcycle, each carrying one individual," says police official
August 18, 2023
A private plane owned by Beechcraft carrying eight people came crashing down and hit a motorcycle and a car after its failed attempt to land on a highway leaving as many as 10 dead, according to Malaysian authorities Thursday.
According to Malaysia civil aviation officials, six passengers and two crew members were on board the private jet which departed from Langkawi to Selangor — west of Kuala Lumpur.
The A Beechcraft Model 390 (Premier 1) aircraft, a light private business jet lost communication with air traffic control, the Selangor police chief Hussein Omar Khan said, adding that "there was no emergency call, the aircraft had been given clearance to land."
Berita Harian, a Malaysian news agency quoted the police chief as saying that the plane crashed into a car and a motorcycle, each carrying one individual.
The Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia said in a statement: "The plane departed from Langkawi International Airport and was headed to Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport."
“First contact made by the aircraft with Subang Air Traffic Control Tower was at 2:47pm [local time 2:47am ET] and landing clearance was given at 2:48pm,” the statement read.
"At 2:51pm local time, the Control Tower observed smoke originating from the crash site but no mayday call was made by the aircraft," the statement noted.
Authorities are looking for the jet’s black box to determine what was the exact cause of this deadly crash.
Transport Minister Anthony Loke said: "For now we cannot say what was the cause of the crash since investigations are underway. Forensic officials are identifying the remains of all the victims."
According to an eyewitness, he had been working on-site as an engineer when he heard an explosion. He went to the scene where the crash happened and saw injured people.
Mohamad Syahmie Mohamad Hashim, a former member of the Malaysian Air Force, told AFP that he saw the plane flying erratically.
He stated: "Not long after that I heard a loud boom. I sped towards the location and saw the remains of an aircraft. I couldn't do anything."
“Forensic personnel are in the process of collecting the remains and will bring them to the Tengku Ampuan Rahimah Hospital in Klang for a post-mortem examination and identification process,” Khan was quoted in the report.
