KUALA LUMPUR: The Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM) is looking at improving the regulatory framework especially in the area of Aerial Work Certification.
Its chief executive officer Datuk Captain Norazman Mahmud said this in response to the recommendations made by the Air Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) in its preliminary report on the Kapar air crash, which occurred on Feb 13.
The improvement to the regulatory framework, said Norazman, was expected to be completed by the third quarter of this year.
However, he declined to reveal the details of the improvements being made to the regulatory framework.
"It has yet to be finalised. In essence, better control in general aviation sectors and also producing guidance material for the industry on how to comply," he told the New Straits Times.
He was asked to comment on the recommendations made by AAIB in the preliminary report for the CAAM to implement appropriate measures that provide closer scrutiny on non-scheduled flight operation in the country by foreign registered aircraft and foreign licensed aircrew to ensure safe operation.
Norazman was also asked on the process involved when an aircraft is grounded since the preliminary report pointed out the ill-fated aircraft continued to be flown despite two grounding orders.
He said as Malaysia was not where the aircraft was registered, the manufacturer was not obliged to inform the country.
The obligation, he said, was for the manufacturer to report to its country's civil aviation authority, which would then inform the country where the aircraft was registered.
He added that CAAM will wait for the final report to ascertain if the owner in Malaysia was informed that the aircraft was grounded.
The AAIB, in its preliminary report released earlier today, said Blackshape S.p.A, in Oct 23 last year, informed the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) about an occurrence to the fuel selector indication system of the BK160TR aircraft (registration I-POOC).
Blackshape is the owner of the aircraft. The report pointed out that there was another aircraft grounding instruction issued by Blackshape earlier on May 27 the same year, but this was due to transfer of ownership issues.
It was reported that the Gabriel BK160TR crashed in Kampung Tok Muda, Kapar, Klang after it departed from Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport, Subang, Selangor at 1.28pm on Feb 13 for a recreational flight.
The crash killed the two pilots on board, identified as Daniel Yee Hsiang Khoon, aged 30, and Roshaan Singh Rania, aged 42.