Preliminary Report: Bell Crashes in Malaysian Mountains

Bell 206L4 LongRanger, Balaga, Sarawak, Malaysia, July 25, 2005–At about 10:45 a.m. local time, Malaysian-registered Bell 206L4 LongRanger 9M-BCT crashed in mountainous terrain north of Balaga, Malaysia. The helicopter, registered to Hornbill Skyways, was operating as a VFR aerial observation flight. The commercial-rated pilot and one passenger were killed, a second passenger was seriously injured and a third passenger was missing. The aircraft was destroyed. The flight originated from Long Singut at 10:20 and was doing work for the Malaysian national survey and mapping department. A search began after the pilot failed to make a scheduled position report to Hornbill. The Malaysian Ministry of Transport is investigating the accident.