Ajit Doval
A Royal Malaysia Police AS355N helicopter crashed close to the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) Jetty in Gelang Patah on Thursday morning during a ceremonial flypast for the Mitsatom 2025 exercises, a multilateral nuclear security detection drill between Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, and Indonesia.
The Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM) verified that the helicopter in question was a French-manufactured Airbus AS355N, departing from the Tanjung Kupang police station at 9:51 a.m. with five officers aboard, including the pilot.
All five officers on board the plane were immediately taken for emergency medical care. Two officers are said to be critical and need respiratory support, with the other three in stable condition and receiving treatment at Sultanah Aminah Hospital (HSA), Johor Baru, national news agency Bernama reported.
Of the five, three officers serve in the police air unit, while two are based at the Tanjung Kupang police station. There were no fatalities from the crash.
The accident has reopened questions about the operational safety of Malaysia's police aviation fleet, particularly as tenders had been out as early as November 2023 to replace five of the aging Airbus AS355N helicopters.
But Inspector-General of Police Datuk Seri Mohd Khalid Ismail brushed aside fears over the age of the plane.
"Age is not the issue; it's about proper maintenance. Whatever happened is out of our hands," he said.
The AS355N, a twin-engine light utility helicopter, is used extensively by the police, private charters, and government departments. One of the most versatile models, the aircraft has been flying around the world for decades.
The Air Accident Investigation Bureau, which falls under Malaysia's Transport Ministry, will carry out a thorough investigation in line with Part XXVI of the Civil Aviation Regulations 2016, stated the CAAM in a statement.
As part of the security exercise called Mitsatom 2025, the flypast was symbolic of cooperation in nuclear detection and security at the regional level. Although there was a crash, authorities confirmed the rest of the activity went according to plan, with more safety checks implemented.
