Alan B. 5 Report post Posted January 26, 2009 (edited) From the Star online JOHOR BARU: A Cessna two-seater aircraft with at least two people on board has been missing since the plane took off from Senai airport in Johor Baru Monday morning. Kulaijaya OCPD Supt Zulkefly Yahya confirmed that the aircraft from a flying club took off at around 9.40am and was headed to Malacca with a Singaporean pilot on board. The plane was supposed to landed at 10.50am but there was no sign of the aircraft, he said, adding that the air control tower in Malacca then alerted its counterparts in Johor Baru. Supt Zulkefly said that the air control tower in Johor then traced the aircraft’s last point of contact to be somewhere in Benut, Pontian before it went off the radar. It is still unclear how many people were actually on board the plane. Edited January 26, 2009 by Alan B. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Muhd Hisyam 5 Report post Posted January 26, 2009 another xcident? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MOHD RAMZAN FADZIL 0 Report post Posted January 26, 2009 hopefully not... Wish all the crew member are safe... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Norman 1 Report post Posted January 26, 2009 Just heard over TV3's latest news... the police said only the pilot was onboard.. lets hope for the best... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Alan B. 5 Report post Posted January 26, 2009 Latest news is that wrackage found. They are trying rescue the pilot who is trapped. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sri Ramani K. 0 Report post Posted January 26, 2009 heard it's from Elite FC jb..9M-ANA? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Andrew K 0 Report post Posted January 26, 2009 Published: Monday January 26, 2009 MYT 1:27:00 PM Updated: Monday January 26, 2009 MYT 7:13:13 PM Missing Cessna found, pilot trapped (Update 3) By MEERA VIJAYAN JOHOR BARU: Search and rescue teams have found the Cessna two-seater aircraft that went missing Monday morning after it took off from Senai airport in Johor Baru. Police have confirmed that only one person was on board, the pilot Sanjay Purusottam who is in his 30s. Sanjay, a Singaporean, was still trapped in the wreckage of the aircraft as at press time, and rescuers are attempting to extricate him. Kulaijaya OCPD Supt Zulkefly Yahya confirmed that the aircraft from a flying club took off at around 9.40am and was headed to Malacca. The plane was supposed to landed at 10.50am but there was no sign of the aircraft, he said, adding that the air control tower in Malacca then alerted its counterparts in Johor Baru. Supt Zulkefly said that the air control tower in Johor then traced the aircraft’s last point of contact to be somewhere in Gunung Pulai in Kulai Jaya before it went off the radar. The search and rescue operation involved the control towers of Malacca and Johor airports. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MOHD RAMZAN FADZIL 0 Report post Posted January 26, 2009 miracle will come... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nabiel Haniff 1 Report post Posted January 26, 2009 Hopefully him/her will safe! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
HanX 0 Report post Posted January 26, 2009 what is happening actually? anyone noe abt that? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hon Kit 3 Report post Posted January 26, 2009 KULAIJAYA, Jan 26 (Bernama) -- The pilot of a Cessna aircraft which disappeared from the radar after taking off from the Senai airport this morning, was found safe -- about seven hours later. The two-seater Cessna 152 was perched precariously on a tree at a hillslope in a forest reserve in Gunung Pulai. A team of rescuers found the pilot, Singaporean Sanjay Purosottam, 40, trapped in the aircraft which was stuck nose-down on the branches of the tree about 5pm. Having sustained only minor bruises, the pilot contacted his wife in Singapore to say he was safe. Kulaijaya police chief Supt Zulkefly Yahya said however, that Purosottam was stuck in the aircaft and unable to alight due to the position of the aircraft on the tree. He said that earlier, rescuers in three helicopters -- one each from the Fire and Rescue Department, Royal Malaysian Air Force and the Police Air Unit -- spotted the aircraft tail. A 60-man General Operations Force and Fire and Rescue Department personnel scaled the slope to rescue Purusottam tonight. The rescue operations were hampered by darkness and the position of the aircraft which was perched on a tree branch on the steep hillslope. If the pilot's condition allows it, he will be brought out of the area on foot. Otherwise, he will be treated first and ferried out by a helicopter tomorrow. Having left the Senai airport at 9.40am, the aircraft was scheduled to arrive at the Batu Berendam Airport in Melaka at 10.50am. However, due to strong winds, the pilot obtained permission from the Department of Civil Aviation to return, only to lose contact with the Senai air traffic control tower at 10.15am. -- BERNAMA Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Cephas 0 Report post Posted January 28, 2009 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 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Pieter C. 5 Report post Posted January 28, 2009 Damn lucky fella !!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
