Trapped trainee pilot rescued
S'pore PR undergoes operation to set broken leg
By Sujin Thomas
Mr Purushottam called his wife from the wreckage of the plane that was perched precariously on a ledge. He suffered a fractured thigh bone and is now warded at Mount Elizabeth. A senior manager at Standard Chartered Bank, he has been taking flying lessons in Johor. -- PHOTO: THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
THE trainee pilot of a light aircraft which crashed in Johor Baru on Monday has been taken to Mount Elizabeth Hospital where he underwent an operation yesterday evening to set his broken leg.
Singapore permanent resident Sanjay Purushottam, 40, was conscious when Malaysian rescue workers found him trapped in his two-seater Cessna 152 aircraft at Gunung Pulai forest reserve near the town of Kulai at about 5pm on Monday. It was some seven hours after his plane - which he was flying solo - went missing shortly after taking off from Senai Airport.
'We are still investigating whether the crash was caused by pilot error, bad weather conditions or an engine fault,' said Kulaijaya Police Superintendent Zulkefly Yahya.
Mr Purushottam suffered a fractured right thigh bone, facial bruises around his right eye and dehydration. His escape from a brush with death was called 'a miracle' by his wife, Madam Shubdha Bhave, 35, as well as friends who waited patiently outside the intensive care unit of Mount Elizabeth yesterday. 'We didn't know anything except that he was missing until he called,' said a close colleague.
Mr Purushottam, who came here from New Delhi four years ago, called his wife from the wreckage of the plane to tell her about the accident and that he was safe.
He is a senior manager at Standard Chartered Bank and is known to often travel to Johor for flying lessons. Madam Bhave, who had gone to Johor on Monday night, said she was relieved the worst is over. 'He will get better now,' she said.
The couple do not have any children.
Mr Purushottam, a trainee pilot with Malaysian private flight school Elite Flying Club, took off from Senai Airport at about 9.40am on Monday. He was on a navigational exercise to obtain his private pilot's licence and was scheduled to arrive at Batu Berendam airport in Malacca at 10.50am. He apparently ran into difficulties about 30 minutes into the flight. He asked for permission to turn back because of strong winds before losing contact with air-traffic controllers, according to Malaysian paper The Star.
He did not make a mayday call.
Calls made to the Elite Flying Club by The Straits Times went unanswered yesterday.
When he did not arrive in Malacca, the authorities were notified and a rescue operation involving about 60 people was mounted. Spotting the aircraft was difficult as only a small portion was visible. The rest was hidden in foliage, said Supt Zulkefly.
It was only at about 5pm that Royal Malaysian Air Force commandos and paramedics on foot found the wreckage. Mr Purushottam, who was in a state of shock, was still trapped in his seat. The aircraft was entangled in the branches of a tree and was perched precariously on the ledge of a 500m cliff.
Rescue workers had to cut through the tail of the plane to get Mr Purushottam out, said Supt Zulkefly. They stayed with him until first light yesterday.
He was taken to Sultanah Aminah Hospital in Johor Baru at about 7am and ferried back to Singapore at about noon.
Singaporean pilots who fly the same route taken by Mr Purushottam told The Straits Times that weather conditions have recently been unfavourable for flying.
Source: Straits Times Interactive
