A senator has called for the immediate and temporary grounding of all BO-105 helicopters following a fatal Flying Doctor Service (FDS) crash in Sarawak, pending confirmation of what caused the tragedy.
RA Lingeshwaran said the precautionary suspension was necessary to protect doctors, nurses, Health Ministry personnel, pilots and rural communities who rely heavily on FDS services.
“Although FDS operations are run by a private company under a government contract, the government’s responsibility cannot be relinquished,” he said in a statement today.
He said the government had a duty to ensure contractors operated aircraft that met the highest safety and flight standards.
The BO-105 helicopter was travelling from Miri Airport to Long Lellang when it crashed near the Long Lellang STOLport. All five people aboard — four Health Ministry personnel and a pilot — were killed.
Lingeshwaran said the government should take firm action against the company involved if investigations found that the helicopter’s age, maintenance history or condition had contributed to the crash.
Based on aircraft records, he said the helicopter, registered as 9M-LLF, was a previously operated aircraft rather than a new one, having been built in Germany in 1991.
He said the aircraft, bearing serial number S-867, had previously operated under registrations in Germany, the United States and South Africa before entering service in Malaysia.
With BO-105 production ending in 2001, Lingeshwaran said the helicopter was about 35 years old in 2026 and had a documented operational history spanning more than three decades.
“The government needs to reassess the use of older helicopters and ensure that contractor companies replace them with more modern and suitable helicopters.
“Human life cannot be measured against contract costs or operational profit. Precautionary measures must be taken now, without waiting for a second tragedy to occur,” he said.
