Kota Kinabalu: A Bell 206B JetRanger helicopter, owned by Layang Layang Aerospace Sdn Bhd, carrying the pilot and four Ministry of Health (MOH) staff made an emergency landing in a river at Kampung Buayan, Penampang, earlier Wednesday.
Sabah Air Aviation Chairman Datuk Kenny Chua said the incident occurred around noon during a flight for the MOH’s Flying Doctor Service in remote areas of Sabah.
“All four MOH staff, along with the helicopter pilot, were reported safe due to the pilot’s quick action in landing the helicopter after detecting a warning signal in the aircraft’s system. After landing safely, the pilot made an emergency call to report the situation, and a Sabah Air Aviation Sdn Bhd helicopter on a medical mission to Tawau received the call,” he told reporters.
Chua said the pilot of the Sabah Air helicopter then relayed the message to the airline’s headquarters in Tanjung Aru, after which another helicopter, along with an engineer and two technicians, was dispatched at 12:30pm. Chua
He said the team that arrived at the scene in Kampung Buayan managed to repair the stranded helicopter, and both helicopters returned to Tanjung Aru with the MOH staff at 2pm.
However, he said due to space and weight limitations, the engineer and two technicians had to remain behind temporarily in Kampung Buayan.
“Sabah Air and Layang Layang Aerospace will assess the situation before returning to retrieve the engineer and technicians.
“Due to the forested area in Buayan, it is challenging to pinpoint the exact location, especially with fog and cloud cover, but we will bring them back as soon as conditions permit,” he said.
