Abad Naluri GM Killed After Hit By Heli Rotor Blade

[Delwin A 0]

NIBONG TEBAL, March 30 (Bernama) -- Joseph Chan, general manager of housing development company Abad Naluri Sdn Bhd, was killed after he was hit on the head by a rotor blade of a helicopter at Batu Kawan Estate here Thursday.

 

Chan, 45, died on the spot at a football field where the helicopter had landed with a fourth group of journalists and photographers who had been taken on an aerial tour of the site being developed by the company as Bandar Cassia.

 

The accident happened between 1.20 pm and 1.30 pm just before the helicopter was about to take five or six students on the aerial tour, Seberang Perai Selatan police chief Supt Khaw Kok Chin said.

 

He said Chan inspected the left door of the helicopter to ensure that it was fastened while the pilot checked the right door.

 

Chan then went to the front of the aircraft and was hit by one of the revolving rotor blades, he added.

 

The helicopter, AS 365 Nuri Dauphin, leased by Abad Naluri for the media aerial tour, had used the football field, about 200 metres from Equine Home Gallery, the operations office of the company.

 

The aerial tour was conducted after a news conference with Datuk Patrick Lim, executive chairman of Equine Capital Bhd, the parent company of Abad Naluri, and Rosli Jaffar, acting general manager of Penang Development Corporation (PDC), on the sale of 800 units of houses in Bandar Cassia in Batu Kawan, Penang, valued at RM80 million.

 

In the fourth group to complete the aerial tour were Berita Harian reporter Saufi Hamzah and New Straits Times reporter Adi Suri Zulkeflli and two officers of Abad Naluri as well as the pilot.

 

Khaw said Chan was seriously injured in the head, and his body had been taken to the Sungai Bakap Hospital.

 

He said that at the time of the accident the students were still in the helicopter and after hearing a loud noise of the rotor blade hitting something, the pilot switched off the engine of the aircraft.

 

He said preliminary investigation showed that the helicopter from Kuala Lumpur had sought clearance to land at the field from the air traffic control centre in Butterworth.

 

Meanwhile, Patrick Lim, who had been at lunch with the 15 journalists and photographs, rushed to the scene upon hearing of the accident.

 

When approached, a shocked Lim could only say: "I'm so sad."

 

-- BERNAMA

 

What a sad tragedy. May he RIP

[Min Chun 0]

That's a sad news in Aviation Industry..

 

RIP~

[KK Lee 5]

 

Condolences to Chan’s family.

 

Guess Chan didn’t keep his head down and the pilot was too eager to take off

 

 

[zealich 0]

sad news indeed...

[Norman 1]

Condolences to Chan’s family.

 

Guess Chan didn’t keep his head down and the pilot was too eager to take off

 

Too early for that conclusion <_>

[mokhzani 0]

Too early for that conclusion

Pilot was outside the heli, checking the other side's door.

[Raj 0]

"Guess Chan didn’t keep his head down and the pilot was too eager to take off"

 

Btw KK Lee, The pilot wasn't in an eager to take-off..They can never take-off with someone around the helicopter..they have to be a certain distance away..As chan was leaving after checking the door, they was a gust of wing from the back therefore forcing the rotor blade lower in the front at an angle and that is when it hit his head..

 

I can definantely say that he wasn't bending down that much. as it is like 5 to 6 feet above the ground( rotor blade)..

 

Condolences to chan..

Edited March 31, 2006 by raj

[M A Muzammil 0]

Aren't chopper pilots supposed to be in the cockpit holding down the collective control while the main rotor is revolving, even when the engine's off? I saw the rule somewhere, can't recall.

[Walter Sim 1]

this shows that when its time to go, you go.

 

regardless of any situation

[W Goh 0]

just curious though...isn't a heli rotor's clearance from the ground way higher than the average man's height? i mean, from the newspaper pics, they seem to be a few feet higher than everyone there. can wind really bend a heli's rotors that much?

[ipin 0]

Aren't chopper pilots supposed to be in the cockpit holding down the collective control while the main rotor is revolving, even when the engine's off? I saw the rule somewhere, can't recall.

 

yes you're right. i think the pilot didn't follow that rule that time.i think he should be in the cockpit. maybe lack of crew to monitor the situation.whatever it is, just wait for DCA to investigate it. RIP to the victim

[Arimi Raldi 0]

oooo what a sad news...