The Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM) has suspended the training certificate of My Heli Club following its second crash in less than two months. The latest accident occurred on New Year’s Day when the club’s Robinson R66 crashed near Pulau Indah, Port Klang, during what local law enforcement officials described as hover practice.
Although the light turbine helicopter was substantially damaged, both occupants received only minor injuries. The New Year’s crash follows another by club aircraft on November 8, when two of its Helicopteres Guimbal Cabri G2 piston singles collided in midair, killing the pilot and passenger in one of the Cabris while the other made a successful emergency landing.
A preliminary report on that crash released by Malaysia’s Air Accidents Investigation Bureau (AAIB) on December 8 confirms that the helicopter with fatalities had substantial portions of its main rotor blades damaged when they hit the landing skids of the other helicopter while flying in what was supposed to be loose formation with maintained lateral separation of 150 to 300 feet. The report noted that a portion of a main rotor blade on the non-surviving helicopter separated in flight after impact. Conditions at the time of the accident were described as overcast.