KUALA LUMPUR: The preliminary crash report on the Kapar air crash on Feb 13 indicates that the Blackshape BK 160TR likely broke up mid-flight.
According to the Air Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) in its preliminary report, the distribution of debris strongly suggests that large structural parts separated from the aircraft while in flight before impacting the ground at the oil palm plantation.
The report stated that a large part of the right wing had detached from the aircraft, and the sheer force of the crash was non-survivable for its occupants.
"There was no sign of pre-crash or post-crash fire on any of the debris found at the crash site.
"The I-POOC aircraft container was shattered into pieces due to the high-energy impact.
"This disintegration of the container failed to prevent intrusion of outside objects, resulting in fatal injuries to the occupants."
The AAIB also said the front portion of the main aircraft wreckage, including the engine and front part of the cockpit, was buried about two metres in the relatively soft ground of the oil palm plantation, while the back section of the fuselage with the aircraft tail and vertical stabiliser remained above the ground.
The report also found that numerous wreckage debris and aircraft parts were scattered around the impact point, but not more than 50 metres away, approximately.
The AAIB added that based on the direction of partially buried fuselage, ground markings to the wreckage and freshly broken branches at the top of an adjacent palm tree, the aircraft impacted the ground at an approximate direction of 292 degrees.
"Based on the vertical angle from the impact point on the ground to the top of the broken branches of the adjacent palm tree, the aircraft had impacted the ground at an approximately 45 degrees downwards trajectory," it said.
On Feb 13, the Gabriel BK-160TR crashed in Kampung Tok Muda, Kapar, Klang after it departed from Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport, Subang, Selangor at 1.28pm for a recreational flight.
The crash claimed the lives of two individuals onboard, identified as Daniel Yee Hsiang Khoon, aged 30, and Roshaan Singh Rania, aged 42.