KUALA LUMPUR: It is the right move to seek the insight of foreign aviation experts in the investigation into the Royal Malaysian Navy helicopter crash.
Universiti Kuala Lumpur Aviation Technology Institute investigation search-and-rescue department head Associate Professor Major Dr Mohd Harridon Mohamed Suffian told the New Sunday Times that the manufacturers of the AgustaWestland and Airbus helicopters involved in the crash would be able to offer perspectives and theories valuable to the investigation.
"The HOM AW139 and Fennec helicopters were manufactured by AgustaWestland and Airbus Helicopters, respectively.
"These are prominent and reputable aviation companies with their own experts, specialists and engineers."
Harridon said the two types of helicopters involved in the crash had undergone thousands of hours of testing in the development stages involving fatigue evaluations, thrust assessments, flight dynamic capabilities and establishing the safety envelope.
"Huge amounts of data are collected during the testing phase, with performance charts developed for the helicopters.
"Experts from the two companies would have been highly involved in the development, maintenance or operation of the helicopters.
"Thus, they would have in-depth knowledge about the characteristics and function of the helicopters."
Yesterday, Defence Minister Datuk Seri Khaled Nordin said the government was ready to seek the help of foreign expertise in the probe into the Lumut helicopter crash.
He said for now, the government would leave the probe to the investigation board comprising experts from the navy, air force and the helicopters' manufacturers.
Harridon said any help from the helicopters' makers would make it easier to find out if there were underlying problems with any of the two helicopters.
"I have been deeply involved in the mathematical modelling of flights and predictive maintenance, which can predict failures in helicopter components.
"I'm confident these experts can contribute significantly to the investigation."
He said finding the cause of the crash involved in-depth analyses of the flight data from both helicopters.
"It is imperative to develop mathematical models to accurately represent the incident based on the data collected from the helicopters and the maintenance records.
"It's best to have a mix of local and foreign experts to unearth the root cause of the crash."