Malaysia Update

KULAI: A Singaporean pilot miraculously survived when the Cessna 152 light aircraft he flew crashed at the foot of the Gunung Pulai range near here today.

Sanjay Purusottam, who is in his 30s, was reported to have suffered serious injuries after his two-seater aircaft crashed into the hilly forested area.

Initial effort to airlift him from the crash site was hampered due to thick fog.

A rescue team from the army air unit based in Kluang combed the area on helicopter and spotted Sanjay's aircraft at about 4pm.

It had crashed into a thick foliage and was hanging nose down from a big tree.
Sanjay was found pinned in his aircraft seat. The aircraft had caught fire when it crashed but the flame was doused by the rain then.

Once found by the rescue team, the badly injured Sanjay requested to borrow a handphone from one of his rescuers so that he could telephone his family.

Two other helicopters each from the Fire and Rescue Department and police also joined in the rescue operation.

Sanjay had taken off from the Sultan Ismail airport in Senai at 9.42am and was heading to the Batu Berendam airport in Malacca. He was expected to arrive in Malacca at 10.50am.

Sanjay decided to turn his two-seater Cessna aircraft back to Senai after experiencing problems due to strong winds.

Kulaijaya district police chief Superintendent Zulkefly Yahya said that Senai Airport's control tower had lost contact with Sanjay at 10.15am as he was flying over Benut, Pontian.

Personnel at the control tower in Batu Berendam airport notified their counterparts in Senai when Sanjay's aircraft did not arrive as scheduled.

Zulkefly said that Sanjay was a member of the Elite Flying Club, which was based here.

The police, air force and Fire and Rescue Department launched a joint search and rescue operation after being notified about the incident at 12.30pm.

An operation room was set up at the Dewan Raya in Kampung Sri Gunung Pulai at 12.45pm.

The search and rescue teams had combed areas around Gunung Pulai, Kelapa Sawit. Pontian police had also directed villagers in Benut to look for the aircraft's whereabouts.

Zulkefly said that the police had sought help from the Elite Flying Club members to locate Sanjay and the Cessna aircraft.

He said that none of Sanjay's friends or family members had so far approached the police.

Rescuers had decided to wait until morning to airlift him from the crash site.

An additional team of 30 personnel from the General Operation Force and 35 men from the Rescue and Fire Department was dispatched to the crash site for the night.

Edited from NST 26 Jan 09