Flying Doctor Crash: RM3,213 A Month For The Pilot’s Widow, RM1,574 For The Doctor’s Husband
Each family receives a one-off RM3,000 funeral benefit. For three of the five families, that — and whatever Social Synergy can provide — is all the system currently offers.
Subscribe to our FREE Newsletter, or Telegram and WhatsApp channels for the latest stories and updates.
A 30-year-old pilot’s widow will receive RM3,213 a month for the rest of her life, and their two children will receive RM2,142 a month until both finish university.
The doctor who flew with him leaves behind a husband — a schoolteacher in Sarawak — who will receive RM1,574 a month.
Both figures are PERKESO benefits confirmed following the deaths of Captain Zainol Afiq Bee Sham and Dr Ainul Baraah Kamaruddin, part of a five-person Flying Doctor Service (FDS) team whose helicopter caught fire and went down near Long Lellang STOLport in Sarawak on Tuesday (8 Sep).
All five died from severe burn injuries, Sarawak Police Commissioner Datuk Mohamad Zainal Abdullah confirmed on Friday (11 Sep).
The remains are still at Miri Hospital.
DNA tests are pending before families can bring them home.
The other victims are:
Alexson Adit Henry, 31, medical assistant.
Debra Moset, 40, staff nurse.
Jessie Paya Jok, 44, staff nurse.
The final three were identified through personal belongings found in the wreckage.
The Air Accident Investigation Bureau has taken over the crash site.
Early findings point to an engine fire prior to impact — a detail that shifts the inquiry toward airworthiness and maintenance, and toward the operator, Layang-Layang Aerospace.
The Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM) has been notified.
Human Resources Minister Datuk Seri R. Ramanan confirmed PERKESO contribution profiles for the victims have been verified, and welfare disbursals are being processed.
Dr Ainul Baraah’s PERKESO contributions ran from June 2019 to August 2024; her husband will receive RM1,574.10 monthly under the Invalidity Scheme’s Survivors’ Pension.
Each family also receives a one-off RM3,000 funeral benefit.
The three remaining crew — Alexson, Debra, and Jessie — were not eligible for periodic PERKESO pension disbursements under current frameworks.
Their details have been forwarded to Social Synergy, PERKESO’s centralised social security platform, for welfare and insurance relief.
Aid and Tributes Pour In for Victims’ Families
On the same day, Tabung Baitulmal Sarawak (TBS) handed over emergency one-off financial assistance to the next of kin of all five victims at a hotel in Miri, where the families had gathered.
TBS described the aid as an immediate gesture of care to ease the burden on families navigating one of the hardest moments of their lives, adding that it remains committed to responding swiftly whenever communities face crisis.
The Sarawak Nursing Professional Association (SNPA) Miri Branch also issued a formal tribute, extending condolences to the families of all five — with particular mention of the two nurses, Debra and Jessie.
“Their dedication, courage and unwavering commitment in serving the community through the FDS will forever be remembered and honoured,” the association wrote.
Not all tributes came from institutions.
Tan Soo Hong, a former medical escort who had flown on the same registered helicopter as far back as 2014, wrote that the crash had brought back memories of six years working alongside FDS teams in Sarawak’s interior.
“Having worked there for six years, I’ve seen first-hand how underprivileged the healthcare resources and equipment can be in remote areas,” she wrote.
Sadly, this is not the first helicopter crash. During my time there, we were told of incidents happening on and off. So many years have passed, yet still not much improvement.
Her closing words were simple: “It could have been any one of us.”
Share your thoughts with us via TRP’s Facebook, X, Instagram, or Threads.
