RMAF Nuri helicopters still safe to be used: Johari

TAWAU: The incident involving the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) Nuri helicopter in Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Balung here yesterday has not affected the use of the aircraft by RMAF.

Deputy Defence Minister Datuk Seri Johari Baharum said the Nuri helicopters, similar to the one that made an emergency landing yesterday, were still in good condition and could continue to be used.

"There is no problem with the lifespan of RMAF Nuri helicopters as they are maintained properly.

"The Nuri helicopters used by RMAF have an excellent record but accidents also occur and new or old helicopters cannot be used as a factor to gauge accidents involving the aircraft," he told reporters when visiting the incident site at SMK Balung here today.

Also present were RMAF deputy commander Lt Gen Datuk Seri Affendi Buang and deputy secretary general (Management) Datuk Mohammad Foad Abdullah.
Johari said the report on the incident's initial investigation would be completed by the investigation board within a month.

He said it should included identifying if the cause of the incident was due to technical problems or human error.

The Defence Ministry had purchased 12 Eurocopter EC725 but could not use it because of an accident involving a similar aircraft in Norway.

In yesterday's incident, a RMAF Nuri helicopter had an emergency landing on the roof of an open hall in SMK Balung injuring 22 people - 13 RMAF personnel, eight students and a cleaning worker at the school. — Bernama