KOTA KINABALU: A helicopter crashed shortly after take-off from the Kota Kinabalu International Airport (KKIA) here yesterday.
Its pilot and three engineer passengers, aged between 30 and 40, however, survived unhurt.
The crash is believed to have occurred due to power loss.
The 4pm accident unfolded when the pilot, two engineers and a trainee engineer were conducting a test on the AS355-F2 chopper owned by charter airline Layang Layang Aerospace.
The helicopter lost power soon after take-off, and plunged onto the airport tarmac.
The impact caused the chopper’s landing skid to collapse.
“According to reports, the crash site was between Bay 28 and 29 T2.
“The airport’s Fire and Rescue team was immediately deployed to the location to provide emergency assistance after the management was alerted to the incident by the control tower at 4.15pm.
“(But) it was not a major crash and no one was injured,” said Malaysia Airports Kota Kinabalu senior manager Sunif Naiman.
He said that the height of the chopper before the crash was not reported by the operator.
Sunif added that the incident has not affected the airport’s operations, and only Bay 28 and 29 have been temporarily closed.
He said that an engineering team conducted a necessary inspection on related facilities at the airport following the crash.