Tue, September 07, 2010
KULAI, Malaysia, Sept. 7 (Xinhua) -- A light aeroplane from a flying academy crashed in Johore State in the southern part of Peninsula Malaysia on Tuesday, killing a female trainee pilot and a male examiner was injured.
The incident took place on Tuesday morning near an oil palm plantation in Kulai in the southern part of the state.
Kulai district police chief Zulkifli told reporters here on Tuesday that the two-seater plane took off at the Senai Airport in the state at about 8.30am on a test flight.
However, the plane crashed into an oil palm plantation that was about 10 kilometers from the airport at 9.20 am and burst into flames, added Zulkifli.
While the 38-year-old examiner from the Malaysian Civil Aviation Department successfully escaped from the debris, Zulkifli said the trainee, 19, was burnt to death as she was trapped in the plane.
According to the police personnel, the condition of the examiner, who suffered burns in his chest and face, was currently stable and was undergoing specialist treatment in Johor Bahru, the state's capital.
Zulkifli said the plane's black box was located and the cause of the incidence was under investigation.
Meanwhile, a coordinator from the Malaysian Fire and Rescue Team said the weather was fine Tuesday morning when the plane crashed.
Quoting a witness as saying, the coordinator said the plane was seen hovering in the air for a few minutes before crashing into an oil palm tree on the ground.
A loud explosion was heard immediately after the crash, added the coordinator.
