Bad weather, lack of on-board radar blamed
Published: 19/08/2010 at 12:00 AM
Newspaper section: News
Their Majesties the King and Queen are sponsoring funeral rites for three senior officials, a pilot and a mechanic who were killed in a helicopter crash in Nan on Tuesday.
Their bodies were flown from Nan to the air force base at Don Muang at 7.05pm yesterday before being moved to Bhumibol Hospital.
Wat Phra Si Maha That in Bang Khen will host the royal bathing rite today.
The dead are permanent secretary for natural resources and environment Saksit Tridech; an inspector-general with the National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation Department, Kowit Punyatrong; an adviser to the Royal Household Bureau, Sahat Boonyawiwat; pilot Jenwit Arunsawat and mechanic Witoon Thien-nguen.
The helicopter took off from an air base in Phitsanulok about 7.30am on Tuesday destined for Phu Phayak mountain in Nan’s Chalerm Prakiat district, where the three officials were due to preside over a ceremony for a reforestation project, part of the Pid Thong Lang Phra river basin development project.
The helicopter took off in heavy rain. It lost contact with the air base and disappeared from the radar about 30 minutes after take-off.
Natural Resources and Environment Minister Suwit Khunkitti has expressed sorrow at the death of the five men.
He said the three officials had contributed significantly to the work of the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry.
After searching for hours on Tuesday, search and rescue teams found the five bodies and the wreckage of the helicopter about 8am yesterday in thick jungle near Ban Nam Kwang in Na Muen district of Nan. Two of the bodies had been thrown from the helicopter. The others were trapped in the wreckage.
Rescuers travelled on foot for four kilometres to reach the crash site which is in thick forest in a mountainous area.
It took them about three hours to carry the bodies out of the jungle.
The search and rescue teams were made up of 350 volunteers, forestry officials, soldiers, military rangers and villagers who were familiar with the area.
Pol Maj Gen Adul Ajalabun, the Nan provincial police chief, said the helicopter could have crashed into the mountain as visibility was poor.
The Eurostar AS350 six-seater helicopter had no weather radar instruments. Combined with bad weather, the lack of that instrument could have caused the tragedy, some experts believe.
Anan Slangskul, a senior pilot with the Natural Resources Conservation Office’s aviation division, said the weather radar machines were needed, but very expensive.
They cost more than one million baht and the ministry decided not to fit them to its helicopters.
“Without the machine, we have to rely on pure pilot skill. The pilot will make a decision on whether it is safe to take up the helicopter,” Mr Anan said.
“I guess the pilot believed the poor weather would end shortly so he decided to fly.” The helicopter was used for forest patrol missions.
It was about 20 years old, although Mr Anan insisted it was still in good condition thanks to a strict maintenance programme.
“We will not take up a flight if a helicopter is not in perfect condition,” he said.
Another official at the aviation division said pilot inexperience could have been another factor in the AS350 helicopter crash.
“The pilot was quite new. He might have lost control while flying in a bad storm,” said the official, who requested anonymity.
Another senior pilot was asked to fly that day, but due to some problems, he was replaced.
Bron: Bangkok Post / www.bangkokpost.com