Misplaced Pages

#1998

67-396: Tun Fuad Stephens came to power during the 1976 Sabah state elections which were held from 5 April to 14 April 1976. His BERJAYA party won 28 of the 48 seats contested, defeating the previous governing party United Sabah National Organisation (USNO) led by Tun Mustapha . Tun Fuad was sworn in as the 5th chief minister of Sabah on 15 April 1976. On the 53rd day after he won the elections,

134-471: A BERJAYA party branch's victory celebrations. Tun Fuad met his eldest son Johari Stephens at the walkathon. Tun Fuad insisted that his eldest son Johari should follow him to Labuan in order to visit the official opening of RM 100 million oil refinery. However, Tun Fuad and his son never made the trip to the refinery because of their own busy schedule. Tun Fuad then went back to Labuan Golf Club in order to meet Tengku Razaleigh. Tun Fuad and Tengku Razaleigh had

201-465: A Malaysian oil and gas company. Tun Mustapha , former chief minister of Sabah, had previously refused to sign the 5% oil agreement with Petronas . Tun Fuad, Tengku Razaleigh, and other BERJAYA leaders had a "good chat" until 6:00 am next morning. Then, Tun Fuad and his brother went to Kota Kinabalu in order to flag-off a charity walkathon held in the morning. Datuk Peter Mojuntin , another BERJAYA leader, decided to stay at Labuan in order to officiate at

268-787: A different account of the last minute events in the book titled "The Sabahan:The Life and Death of Tun Fuad Stephens" which was published back in 1999. Tengku claimed that he met Harris Salleh at the beach near the Layang-Layang village when the latter asked him to go to Banggi Island to inspect a cattle ranch. Tengku Razaleigh agreed and went to the Labuan airport. Tengku then climbed into the Tun Fuad's aircraft and asked Abdul Rahman to accompany him to Banggi Island. According to Borneo Bulletin newspaper published on 12 June 1976, Tun Fuad's son, Johari Stephens (a 24-year-old trainee pilot) asked if he could ride

335-494: A heart attack at a private hospital where she was admitted after a fall at her house at the age of 92. Rahimah was also State Minister of Welfare of Sabah and Member of the Sabah State Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Kiulu . She was the first woman to be appointed to the state ministerial position. Chief Minister of Sabah Hajiji Noor also visited her family to pay his last respects and convey his condolences, he

402-515: A lunch at a beach near a village called Layang-Layang. After that, they decided to return to Kota Kinabalu earlier for the preparation of an official banquet at Istana Negeri (State Palace) at night where Tengku Razaleigh and Tun Fuad were to sign the Petronas deal. However, other sources claimed that Tun Fuad disagreed with 10% oil royalty offered by the federal government, instead opting for 20% oil royalty. Conrad Mojuntin , brother of Peter Mojuntin, who

469-432: A new investigation in the case in order to find the exact cause of the aircraft crash. On 28 February 2012, Sabah High Court ruled that Yong had "crossed the line" by using the words "crime" and "assassination" against Harris Salleh. Yong was ordered to pay RM 1 million in damages to Harris. However, on 19 November 2013, Court of Appeal ordered Harris to refund the entire amount of damages back to Yong. On 26 September 2017,

536-452: A quick identification. There were no survivors. I was horrifed to see that almost every BERJAYA senior leader was there. Only Harris was missing. All the bodies were converged in the cockpit area except for one that was still strapped into position by a seat belt. The cockpit was buried into the ground. Captain Nathan was found in the pilot's seat while Johari Stephens (Tun Fuad's son) was found in

603-608: A request to National Archives of Australia in May 2022 to declassify the B5535 report through a law firm named Messr Jayasuriya Kah & Co. On 24 April 2023, Australia's Administrative Appeals Tribunal agreed to release the report to the law firm. The report was released on 26 April 2023, which supports the findings of the Malaysian investigation report. Aircraft overloading – If the Nomad aircraft

670-667: A test flight at Avalon Airport , Australia, exactly 2 months after the Malaysian Double Six Crash. In November 1995, 20 years after the Double Six Crash, the Four Corners TV series of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), which is noted for its investigative exposés, ran a programme on the dangers of Nomad aircraft which had been suppressed over the years. At the time when the programme

737-482: Is not operated within strict weight limit, it will behave unpredictably when the speed is low, especially when the aircraft is landing. This fact had not been mentioned in the flight manual during the time when Double Six Crash occurred. Since the aircraft was carrying heavy goods when it was landing at the Kota Kinabalu Airport at a low altitude (600 feet), the pilot would not have to time to respond and maneuver

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804-457: Is today known as Malaysia Day . He became Sabah's first Chief Minister as UNKO together with USNO and Sabah Chinese Association (SCA) formed the Sabah Alliance coalition to rule the new Government of Sabah . In 1964, Donald Stephens stepped down as Chief Minister to become the first Malaysian federal cabinet member from Sabah. He was replaced by Peter Lo Sui Yin of SCA. Stephens became

871-511: The Federal Court of Malaysia ordered Yong to compensate Harris RM 600,000 because Yong implicated Harris of having "blood on his hands" despite having no proof of backing up his statement. In June 2022, a newspaper based in Sabah named "Daily Express" published a documentary detailing events of the crash incident. In June 2024, chairman of NGO Sunduvan Sabah, Aloysius Danim Siap said the group wants

938-515: The 1st Huguan Siou or Paramount Leader of the Kadazandusun community. He played a role in bringing Sabah into the Federation of Malaysia in 1963. While he was initially against the idea of Sabah joining in the Federation, given British concerns about the stability of the region and their move to relinquish all their colonies in the post WWII era, he was gradually convinced to work towards it. He held

1005-416: The 5% oil royalty agreement. Harris said that he signed the 5% oil agreement on attorney-general's recommendations and agreements by all of his cabinet ministers. Besides, the chief minister from the neighbouring state of Sarawak Abdul Rahman Ya'kub had also signed the agreement after an extensive discussion with Tengku Razaleigh. However, Harris was unsure whether the quantum of 5% was determined by law or by

1072-537: The Federal Government, it would be the same thing." At 3:00 pm, Tun Fuad, Tengku Razaleigh, and other BERJAYA leaders boarded the government-chartered, twin engine, ten-seater Australian Nomad aircraft owned by Sabah Air . Peter Mojuntin was among those aboard. Peter originally planned to board the Malaysia Airlines (MAS) flight back to Kota Kinabalu at 1:30 pm scheduled on the same day. However, Peter

1139-609: The High Court of Kota Kinabalu ordered the federal government to declassify the final investigations report of the plane crash in three months. Initially, the Attorney General's Chamber (AGC) filed an appeal; however Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim later announced on 5 April that the federal government had agreed to declassify the final investigation report. He further added that the Ministry of Transport (MOF) would be tasked to release

1206-520: The Kinabalu Golf Club at Tanjung Aru when the aircraft crashed into the Sembulan Sea while it was trying to land at Kota Kinabalu International Airport . The aircraft was at 600 feet, flying at 86 knots and approaching the runway from the north when it seemed to stall mid-air with one wing dipping down and the aircraft spiraling one and a half turns into shallow waters just three feet deep. It

1273-459: The Malaysian parliament or the federal government. Harris also delivered a eulogy in the Sabah State Legislative Assembly : ...The glory of this House is diminished by their absence but their spirit, the New Spirit of Sabah, lives on. Harris later admitted that he found himself being pushed around by the federal government and he was too young to stand up against its demands. However, if Tun Fuad

1340-585: The Royal Malaysian Air Force, the Royal Malaysian Police, and other associated departments. Government sources at that time mentioned that it was abnormal for the aircraft to take a spin before crashing into the sea. Therefore, foul play was suspected and the aircraft could have been tampered with before it took off from Labuan airport. At 6:00 pm on the same day, Deputy chief minister of Sabah Datuk Harris Salleh , choking with emotions, broke

1407-457: The aircraft crash. The ban has not been lifted since then in order to ensure "public safety as the book was very critical of the federal government". Since 2010, various quarters have been seeking to lift the ban on the book. In May 2024, former chief minister Tan Sri Joseph Pairin Kitingan had expressed his hopes to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to consider lifting the ban on the book on

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1474-466: The aircraft had appeared to be veering from side to side before it went into a spiral and crashed. The aircraft was a total wreck. Blood was seeping from the wrecked aircraft and stained the surrounding water crimson. The crash scene was just 50 feet from the nearest houses of the village of Kampung Sembulan Baru which the aircraft had just flown over and 3 km from the airport. Tun Fuad's brother Ben Stephens and Police Commissioner Yusof Khan were among

1541-408: The aircraft he boarded crashed on the way to Kota Kinabalu Airport. In the evening of 5 June 1976 (Saturday), Tun Fuad with his brother Benedict Stephens (often known as Ben) and other BERJAYA leaders gathered at Labuan Golf Club to host a post-victory celebration for Tun Fuad's old friend, Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah . Tengku Razaleigh was the federal finance minister and also a chairman of Petronas ,

1608-454: The aircraft in the co-pilot seat. The request was granted and the aircraft took off from Labuan. The flight from Labuan to Kota Kinabalu usually takes around 40 minutes. Tun Fuad's aircraft should have landed at 3:30 pm at the Kota Kinabalu Airport. The weather was good and the VIP aircraft should have received immediate clearance for landing. However, the aircraft circled and approached the airport from

1675-425: The aircraft out from the spin and perform an emergency landing . The tail of the aircraft contained 147.4 kg of goods, which exceeded the maximum allowed weight of 87.8 kg; although the overall weight of the plane was less than the maximum allowed weight of 197.3 kg. Pilot error – Captain Nathan may have allowed the eldest son of Tun Fuad, Johari Stephen, who was also a trainee pilot, to control

1742-400: The aircraft's certificate of fitness. On 28 October 1976, 4.5 months after the tragedy, the investigations were over. The full investigation findings were not immediately made public. Deputy Communication Minister, Enche Mohd Ali bin M Sharif instead made a statement about the investigation findings: The findings of an investigating team did not reveal any technical errors or sabotage as being

1809-501: The aircraft's faulty design was a more likely cause of the Double Six Crash back in 1999. A monument known as the Double Six Monument was later built at the crash site in order to commemorate the tragedy. Malaysian Home Ministry banned the book titled Peter J Mojuntin – The Golden Son of The Kadazan as soon as it was published in May 1978. The book contains detailed description of events happened before, during, and after

1876-528: The aircraft. This was suspected because Johari's body was found in the co-pilot seat. The aircraft may have gone into a spin when Johari tried to pull the heavily loaded aircraft too steeply out of his landing approach. However, the opposite is equally likely. Captain Nathan, with many years of flying experience, could easily pull the aircraft out of a spin and save the aircraft from a deadly crash. However, in 2004, both Toh Puan Hajjah Rahimah Stephens (wife of Tun Fuad) and Datuk Harris Salleh agreed that "pilot error"

1943-433: The area. Axes had to be used to cut open the aircraft and 11 bodies were removed. Two revolvers, five watches and RM 6,000 in cash were also recovered. All the remains were sent to Queen Elizabeth Hospital for reconstruction. Doctors worked for more than 6 hours to stitch up the body parts. Ben Stephens and Tengku Razaleigh then arrived at the mortuary for formal identification of the bodies. The crash killed all 11 on board

2010-454: The causes of the air crash. What they have instead discovered is that the fault was due to human error. It was also revealed that the aircraft's storage space at the back of the aircraft, was loaded with goods above the maximum load. As a consequence this had resulted in the aircraft losing control when it attempted to land at the Kota Kinabalu Airport, thus resulting in the accident. On 22 June 1976, Australian Broadcasting Corporation announced

2077-540: The chief minister's post from 16 September 1963 until 31 December 1964 when he was forced to resign; and again in 1976 for 54 days from 15 April. During his second term as Chief Minister (which began on 15 April 1976) he died in a controversial accident on 6 June 1976 dubbed Double Six Crash , in Kota Kinabalu , the state capital of Sabah. He was a passenger in an Australian made Nomad aircraft which crashed and killed everyone on board, including his son Johari. His body

1976 Sabah Air GAF Nomad crash - Misplaced Pages Continue

2144-431: The closing of the state-level Kaamatan Festival . In July 2010, former Sabah chief minister Harris Salleh filed a defamation suit against another former Sabah chief minister Yong Teck Lee following claims that Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah (former Petronas chairman) did not board the ill-fated flight when Harris asked Razaleigh to join him for another flight to Banggi Island to inspect a cattle farm. Yong had called for

2211-422: The co-pilot's seat. All the bodies were mutilated beyond recognition except for Peter Mojuntin, whose face remained intact. A severed head was found located at a distance from the body. One eyewitness described the condition of the deceased as "bodies turned to jelly with practically every bone in their bodies broken or smashed". Firemen were the first to arrive at the scene. Police arrived soon after and sealed off

2278-522: The competitions by independents, Sabah Chinese Association, BERSATU and PEKEMAS. Tun Fuad's death leaving behind his wife Rahimah Stephens and 4 children who were still studying in Australia at that time. Government immediately launched a full-scale investigation on the cause of the aircraft crash. The investigation team was led by Colonel Osman Saman, consisting of officers from the Aviation Department,

2345-582: The crash". In 2019, the Pakatan Harapan chief minister Shafie Apdal left the decision to declassify the report to relevant authorities. On 11 July 2022, former Chief Minister of Sabah Harris Salleh filed a judicial review to declassify the Malaysian investigation report, citing Articles 8 and 10 of the Constitution of Malaysia and Section 2C of the Official Secrets Act 1972 . On 8 March 2023,

2412-462: The documents for the signing ceremony in Kota Kinabalu. Tun Fuad's aircraft took off first followed by Harris's aircraft. Tun Fuad's aircraft also carried heavy goods from the duty-free port of Labuan such as golf equipment and colour television sets. Nomad aircraft were not fitted with flight data recorders to record all its course changes and altitudes at that time. However, Tengku Razaleigh gave

2479-462: The earliest to arrive at the scene. The Police Commissioner cut open the aircraft. Among the first items found floating at the crash scene were Tun Fuad's white shoes. Ben Stephens and the Police Commissioner managed to pull out the remains of Corporal Said, Tun Fuad's bodyguard, who had been seated at the back of the aircraft. Police Commissioner Yusof Khan recalled: There were bodies all over

2546-513: The findings from the GAF investigations, which determined that the cause of the accident was due to pilot error; however, additional details was not released by them. The Australian investigation report remained classified since then. The report titled "G. Bennett - Sabah Air Nomad - Report by Government Aircraft Factories (GAF) investigation team on a crash of Nomad aircraft in Malaysia 9M - ATZ on 6 June 1976"

2613-471: The flight, including five ministers, The aircraft crash created a vacuum in BERJAYA party leadership. It also created five vacant Sabah state assembly seats where by-elections would be held on 31 July 1976 with nomination day on 15 July. On 21 June 1976, Barisan Nasional accepted the applications from BERJAYA and USNO to join the coalition. USNO had agreed not to contest in the by-elections, leaving BERJAYA to face

2680-435: The floor of the plane..., they were mangled in different ways. Tun Fuad was sprawled grotesquely, his limbs at an odd angle to his body. I recognised him by his size. Peter Mojuntin had his face untouched and there was only a bloody hole in the back of his head. The smell of blood was terrible and my chaps were at the point of fainting, but we managed to get the bodies out of the plane and lined up near to it so that we could make

2747-530: The minister in charge of Sabah affairs under the Prime Minister's department. Stephens saw Malaysia as the federation of four countries - Malaya, Sabah, Sarawak and Singapore - as equal partners, as opposed to the eleven states making up the Federation of Malaya , which had less autonomy. Following Singapore's exit from Malaysia, Stephens sought a review of Sabah's participation in the federation, although he

1976 Sabah Air GAF Nomad crash - Misplaced Pages Continue

2814-627: The name Pavitt and made his surname Stephens. Fuad Stephens' mother, Edith Cope, was of mixed Japanese, British and Dusun ancestry from Kinabatangan , Sandakan . Stephens had five siblings; two younger sisters and three younger brothers. Two of them, John and Martin, died in infancy. A third, Leo Benedict was born in 1926 and later became the President of the Dewan Negara from 1985 to 1988 amongst other accomplishments. His sisters were Esther (born in 1928) and Agnes (born in 1930). Donald Stephens founded

2881-495: The new political party Sabah People's United Front (BERJAYA). They won the 1976 state election, defeating Tun Mustapha's USNO and becoming the new government of Sabah. Tun Fuad Stephens became Sabah's fifth Chief Minister. Forty-four days later, he died in a plane crash. On 6 June 1976 ("Double Six"), Tun Fuad Stephens and several cabinet members boarded a flight from Labuan heading towards Kota Kinabalu . About 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) from Kota Kinabalu International Airport ,

2948-416: The news to the nation. He said that: Tun Fuad and his party were returning to Kota Kinabalu from Labuan when Sabah Air Nomad Aircraft, coming to land at the airport, spun and crashed. The aircraft broke into several pieces. The cause of the accident is not yet known. Harris Salleh was still grieving and was reluctant to assume the post of chief minister. However, after Tengku Razaleigh's persuasions, Harris

3015-494: The north. It was claimed that the ground control tower instructed the aircraft to make another turn because of an inbound Malaysia Airlines Boeing 737 flight to the airport. An airport official claimed that there were conflicting instructions from the ground control tower. George Jomiton Mojuntin (1932–1983), the eldest son of the Mojuntin family, was one of the eyewitnesses of the crash. He and his friends were playing golf nearby at

3082-846: The plane crashed killing everyone on board. The site of the plane crash is marked by a memorial called Double Six Monument constructed not long after the accident. The site is located in the Sembulan area near the Grace Garden housing complex in Kota Kinabalu across Jalan Coastal Highway from Sutera Harbour resort. Stephens converted to Islam on 7 January 1971, while he was a Malaysian High Commissioner to Australia, together with his wife and five children at Tun Mustapha 's residence. Stephens said that he and Mustapha were "blood brothers" when they pricked their fingers in August 1969. He and his family also had close ties with Mustapha's family. Stephens also considered

3149-415: The political party United National Kadazan Organisation (UNKO) in August 1961. He played a key role in negotiating the independence of Sabah and the formation of Malaysia, together with Tun Mustapha of United Sabah National Organisation (USNO), Lee Kuan Yew of Singapore and Tunku Abdul Rahman , the then Prime Minister of Malaya . The formation of Malaysia was finally achieved on 16 September 1963, which

3216-516: The religion to be a unification factor in Sabah and also in Malaysia as a whole to bring prosperity and happiness to the country. Stephens adopted the name 'Muhammad Fuad', the latter meaning "heart" in Arabic . Stephens was also encouraged to renounce his surname at the time of his conversion but declined to do so. From 1968 to 1973, he held the post of High Commissioner of Malaysia to Australia. On 14 March 2022, his widow Toh Puan Rahimah Stephens died of

3283-447: The report. He explained the decision was based on the "interests of the families of the victims and the people of Sabah". The investigation report was finally released on 12 April 2023, 47 years after its creation. The report revealed that the center of gravity was at the back of the plane due to heavy weights and that the pilot probably failed to recover the plane from the stall due to fatigue (tiredness or exhaustion). Harris also filed

3350-555: The reputation GAF and Australian national interests. A former GAF design engineer, Paul Hughes, bought 16 Nomad aircraft through his own corporation. However, soon after that, he filed a legal suit against Nomad for a number of aircraft defects such as a defective tail design and maximum weight limit that the aircraft can carry which was far lower than advertised weight limit. The Australian government finally paid A$ 4 million to Hughes Corporation. Hughes then disposed of 15 out of 16 aircraft that he had bought. Tun Fuad's family believed that

3417-649: The same day (Peter was buried in St. Michael's churchyard, whilst Darius was buried possibly either in the village cemetery of Kampung Navahiu or at the St. Joseph's Benevolent Fund Catholic Cemetery in Kampung Dontozidon off Old Penampang Road). Tun Fuad's body was later buried at the Sabah state mosque. A public holiday was declared on 7 June 1976 and flags were flown at half mast by the state and federal government departments as well as in commercial premises and private houses. One week later on 14 June 1976, Harris Salleh signed

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3484-695: The younger generation to learn how the Double Six crash changed the state's political landscape. [1] Tun Fuad Stephens Muhammad Fuad Stephens , (born Donald Aloysius Marmaduke Stephens ; 14 September 1920 – 6 June 1976) was a Malaysian politician who served as the 1st and 5th Chief Minister of Sabah from September 1963 to December 1964 and again briefly from April 1976 to his death in June 1976, 3rd Yang di-Pertua Negara of Sabah from September 1973 to July 1975, 6th High Commissioner of Malaysia to Australia from 1968 to 1973. In addition, he also served as

3551-401: Was 3:41 pm and 27 seconds. Residents of Kampung Sembulan Baru reported that they heard an explosion at about 3:30 pm. On rushing out from their homes, they saw the aircraft broken into two, with the cockpit embedded about three feet into a sandbank. Other parts of the aircraft were embedded in the shallow water while part of it was exposed above water. According to The Far Eastern Economic Review

3618-409: Was also a former assemblyman for Moyog , claimed that Tun Fuad would never have agreed to the 5%. However, Harris Salleh, in an interview with the Sabah newspaper Daily Express, stated that "Tun Fuad 100 percent supported the arrangement by Parliament. He supported the law, supported the agreement. No difference. He was ready to sign, to cooperate. Because to him, no matter what arrangement you made with

3685-464: Was also sent to the same community centre. Prime minister Hussein Onn flown to Sabah on the next day morning to attend the state funeral of Tun Fuad. The prime minister and his cabinet ministers would pay their last respects between 1pm and 2 pm on the same day. Peter's body was later brought to St Michael's church, Donggongon for the last rites at 2:45 pm. A Requiem mass was held. After the mass, Peter's coffin

3752-496: Was an Anglican. It was later decided that all the state leaders' coffins will be gathered inside the Kota Kinabalu Community Centre. After that, the leaders' coffins will left the building in a single file and break off in different directions to various cemeteries. Peter Mojuntin's body was carried back to his home at Kampung Hungab, Penampang . Peter's body was later escorted to the community centre. Tun Fuad's body

3819-467: Was broadcast, there were a total of 19 Nomad accidents with 56 deaths. It was the aircraft crash flown by Glen Donovan on 12 March 1990 that caused a mutiny among Australian army pilots and the usage of all military Nomads were discontinued after that. Harry Bradford was a former RAAF test pilot. He found controllability issues of the aircraft especially during its handling on approach and landing. However, his reports were being suppressed because it could harm

3886-952: Was buried at the State Mausoleum near the Sabah State Mosque , Kota Kinabalu . Stephens was born on 14 September 1920 in Kudat . His father, Jules Stephen Pavitt (later known as Jules Pavitt Stephens, Snr.), was of mixed parentage, half- Kadazan and half-British. Jules was born and brought up in North Borneo in the district of Papar . Jules' father, Ernest Alfred Pavitt was born in Akaroa , New Zealand but had ancestral roots in Colchester , Essex , England , United Kingdom . When Ernest Alfred Pavitt left North Borneo to live in New Zealand, Jules dropped

3953-503: Was hosted at National Archives of Australia under Series no: B5535 and restriction number of 33(1)(a) because "Malaysia has not as yet publicly released their final and full report of the investigation". In 2017, the Sabah Barisan Nasional chief minister Musa Aman , in a question-and-answer session in the state assembly, said that the reports are still classified because "Sabah Civil Aviation Department has no new information on

4020-485: Was not seeking secession. However, this was rejected by the federal government, which feared that such a move would endanger the federation as a whole. In 1973, Fuad Stephens was appointed as the governor of Sabah, known as the Yang di-Pertua Negara (the post was later downgraded after 1976 to Yang di-Pertua Negeri ). He held this position until 1975. Later that same year, Tun Fuad Stephens together with Harris Salleh formed

4087-679: Was opened for the last time for the public (whilst Datuk Darius' remains was brought to his home village of Kampung Navahiu, Putatan, Penampang and the nearby Holy Nativity Church, located in Kampung Terawi, Putatan, also in Penampang, which was then an outstation parish church of St. Michael's, today it is a parish of its own right since 2011 in the Archdiocese of Kota Kinabalu within the Penampang district, dedicated by Archbishop Datuk John Lee at that time). Their respective coffins were buried later on

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4154-568: Was operating "illegally" in technical terms because its draft of the operation manual was not yet approved by the Malaysian Civil Aviation Department at that time. Design flaw of the aircraft – This is the second Nomad aircraft crash following the first crash on 3 October 1973 when the aircraft was leased to Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) as A18-002 in July 1973. The 3rd Nomad aircraft crash occurred on 6 August 1976 during

4221-456: Was persuaded by Tun Fuad to fly back to Kota Kinabalu with him because Tun Fuad wanted to discuss some matter with Peter on board the flight. Peter also cancelled the MAS flight and declined an invitation to travel in another GAF Nomad aircraft that were seated with another BERJAYA leader Datuk Harris Salleh and Sarawak chief minister Abdul Rahman Ya'kub . In April 2010, Tengku Razaleigh claimed that he

4288-427: Was seated behind Tun Fuad while Abdul Rahman Ya'kub was seated on Tengku's right side in the Nomad aircraft when Harris Salleh came in last minute and asked Tengku to exit the aircraft in order to inspect a cattle ranch at Banggi Island . Tengku agreed and he invited Abdul Rahman to follow him. Ishak Atan, the private secretary to Tengku Razaleigh, decided to stay back with Tun Fuad's aircraft because he wanted to prepare

4355-535: Was still alive, he may have been able to stand up against it because he was more senior and had the respect of the federal government. Australian GAF Nomad aircraft manufacturer decided to launch an investigation in order to prove that the crash was not due to a mechanical defect. The company sent its chief pilot, Stuart Pearce, and chief designer David Hooper, to investigate the crash. They were also accompanied by two Australian Department of Transport Officials. The Australian Department of Transport had previously issued

4422-624: Was sworn in as the sixth chief minister of Sabah just before midnight on the same day. Hussein Onn insisted on state funerals for the dead state leaders. However, problems arose because the deceased leaders were of different religions, including that of Tun Fuad, who himself was Muslim (along with Datuk Salleh Sulong, his son Johari, State Finance Ministry permanent secretary, Datuk Wahid Peter Andu, Dr Syed Hussin Wafa, Ishak Atan and Corporal Said Mohammad), whilst Datuk Peter Mojuntin and Datuk Darius Binion were both Catholics, others such as Datuk Chong Thien Vun

4489-431: Was the main cause of the crash. Captain Nathan had a valid flying license for this type of aircraft, but had a history of poor training record. For example, the captain did not follow standard operating procedures for VVIP before flying the aircraft. Besides, his flying logbook was poorly maintained. The company, Sabah Air, did not strictly enforce aircraft operating procedures on its pilots. The newly formed Sabah Air company

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