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Official Double 6 Crash Report Released, Pilot Reasonably Fit But Possibly Tired

Official Double 6 Crash Report Released, Pilot Reasonably Fit But Possibly Tired

The Double 6 air crash official report that was kept under wraps for 47 years has been released on the Transport Ministry’s website.

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The official Double 6 crash report has been released publicly on the Transport Ministry’s website.

READ MORE: ‘Double 6’ Plane Crash Report To Be Declassified But Do You Know What It Was About?

The findings, which had been kept secret for 47 years, concluded that there was no evidence to suggest aircraft or system failure prior to the plane crash which killed everyone on board on 6 June 1976.

The investigating team did however find the plane to be improperly loaded. This caused the centre of gravity to be shifted too far back in the plane.

The baggage recovered from the forward baggage compartment of the plane weighed almost 177 lbs. The plane permitted a maximum load of 400 lbs in the front compartment.

It was estimated that a load of 325 lbs. was placed in the aft baggage compartment and an extra 90 lbs. of personal effects were distributed all over the cabin near the passengers. The maximum load permitted in the aft baggage compartment was 198 lbs.

The aircraft, prior to departure from Labuan, had 800 lbs. of fuel.

In total, the takeoff weight was 8065 lbs. This was below the maximum takeoff weight of 8500 lbs, but the centre of gravity was at 43.61% mean aerodynamic chord (MAC).

During the flight to Kota Kinabalu, it’s estimated that 200 lbs. of fuel was burnt off so 600 lbs of fuel was left. This brings the centre of gravity to 43.76% MAC and the weight reduced to 7865 lbs. at the time of the accident.

There was also scrutiny regarding human errors

The aircraft commander at the time was also said to be ill and suffered from a mild stomach upset probably from the food he consumed in Labuan the night before.

The aircraft commander then invited another pilot employed by Penerbangan Sabah to occupy the right hand-co-pilot seat.

It was noted that this pilot was not endorsed on the Nomad and was not involved in the operation of the aircraft.

This pilot was then off-loaded to await the next flight when it was revealed that 10 people decided to occupy the 9-seat plane. The extra passenger then sat on the right-hand co-pilot seat.

The report also found that the pilot’s original flying log book was allegedly burnt in June 1969 and the replacement flying log book was stolen in November 1975.

In other words, his total flying hours could not be verified. His last flying log was made on 12 April 1976 but it was never checked or verified by the Company.

As far as can be established from records available the pilot has a history of poor performances in flying. His training record and performance whilst with the Company has also been marginal.

The Double 6 air crash report findings

The pilot joined the Sabah Flying Club on 1 April 1974. Penerbangan Sabah was incorporated with the Sabah Flying Club and later became the statutory body under the jurisdiction of the Sabah Economic Development Corporation (SEDC).

The pilot elected to join Penerbangan Sabah when it transferred to SEDC on 1 November 1974.

During the fatal flight, the pilot was found to have been reasonably fit. Post-mortem found no evidence that the pilot was suffering from the effects of alcohol or drugs apart from an anti-malarial called chloroquine.

The investigating team did however find other evidence to suggest the pilot was tired and had a mild stomach disorder.


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