Subang airport to blame for fatal accident - Vincent Tan

Subang airport authorities are to be blamed for negligence in the incident which saw a worker dying after a runway collision with his company jet, said tycoon Vincent Tan.

According to the Malay Mail, the Berjaya Group executive chairperson confirmed that it was a Berjaya airplane that was involved in the crash last Monday.

However, he said, criticisms of the airline and its crew following the incident were unfounded and incorrect.

In the incident last Monday, Mohd Ruzaimi Iskandar Ahmad Razali, 39, was driving an engineering vehicle at the Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport in Subang, when his vehicle was involved in a runway accident with a private aircraft about 3.20am.

Mohd Ruzaimi succumbed to his injuries on Tuesday evening. He leaves behind a wife, and four children aged between one and 13.

Tan said that the airline pilots had adhered to all flight operation and landing procedures, as well as obtained clearance from the airport's control tower, before descending.

“In fact, had the obstruction on the runway not been a small maintenance vehicle, but a truck or other heavy equipment, it could have resulted in a major disaster. The entire aircraft, crew and passengers could have perished in the accident,” Tan was quoted as saying.

He added that the airport authorities should have given adequate warning to inbound planes about maintenance works being carried out on the runway.

“No such warning was given and in my view the airport authority was negligent," Tan said.

The tycoon also pledged a personal donation of RM50,000 to Mohd Ruzaimi's widow.

'No notice issued'

Berjaya Air was also reported by Malay Mail as saying in a separate statement that the flight involved had followed an approved flight plan prior to its landing.

“No NOTAMs (Notice to Airmen) was issued to advise that maintenance work (work in progress) was being carried out on the runway at Subang Airport.

“Landing clearance was requested by the pilot and the Tower at Subang Airport gave the clearance to land. There were no beacons or warning lights to alert the crew that there was the presence of maintenance workers or other obstructions on the runway,” the private airline was quoted as saying.

It added that the collision happened when the flight had already touched down and was decelerating on the runway.

The airline further urged the public to refrain from speculating on the incident and let the authorities complete their probe into the matter.

Transport Minister Anthony Loke had said earlier today that investigations into the incident are expected to be completed in 30 days.