SEPANG: The Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM) will review Malaysia Airlines Bhd's internal Flight Data Monitoring System (FDMS), involving one of its jets.
This follows an incident where the airline's flight MH2664, a Boeing 737-800, suddenly "dove" 7,000ft while cruising to Tawau, Sabah last Sunday.
CAAM chief executive Captain Datuk Chester Voo Chee Soon said the FDMS monitors and records all flight data profiles of the operating aircraft.
"Preliminary data has shown correct responses by the operating crew following the issue onboard.
"CAAM will continue to monitor the situation and will not compromise on any issues that might jeopardise the safety and security of airline operations and the public," he said.
He added that CAAM confirmed that a "Mandatory Occurrence Report" was submitted by Malaysia Airlines regarding flight MH2664 from Kuala Lumpur to Tawau on Sunday, following a technical issue experienced on board.
"The aircraft made an air turn-back to Kuala Lumpur International Airport as per the required safety procedures and landed safely at 5.03pm.
"The pilot in command and co-pilot managed the technical issue safely and returned to Kuala Lumpur for the required maintenance action," said Voo.
He added that CAAM had been in close contact with Malaysia Airlines to ensure all the technical safety matters were addressed, under all safety procedures and regulations, which includes pilot responses and airworthiness processes for the aircraft type.
Last Sunday, several passengers "floated" off their seats, as the Malaysia Airlines flight to Tawau suddenly dove 7,000ft.
One of the passengers onboard, Halimah Nasoha, in a Facebook posting, said the Boeing 737-800 that took off from KLIA at 2.30pm took a "sharp dive", about 30 minutes after take-off.
She said the flight that was cruising at 31,000ft dropped to 24,000ft in a matter of seconds, based on her checks on the Flight Radar application.
Halimah recounted how she "floated" (owing to anti-gravitational forces) out of her seat because her seat belt was unfastened as the seat belt signs were turned off at that point.
"The plane was unstable for about 10 minutes and took another dive, but it was not as bad as the first drop," said Halimah.
She added that some passengers were screaming and crying, fearing for their lives.
Halimah said the flight made a return to the peninsula, circled above Malacca a few times, and eventually returned to KLIA.
She then took a connecting flight to Tawau and arrived there at 9.50pm.
The national carrier termed the incident as having encountered "technical issues" during inclement weather.
It said in a statement that as a precautionary measure; the pilot decided to return to KLIA in the interests of passenger safety.
"Flight MH2664 from Kuala Lumpur to Tawau on April 3 performed an air turn back, because of technical issues with the aircraft, compounded by bad weather en route. The aircraft landed safely at KLIA at 5.03pm," it said.