Mr Ridzwan Rahmat, principal defence analyst at military intelligence company Janes, told CNA that the Fennec helicopters are used for training aviators, while the HOM helicopters are used mainly for maritime surveillance and special forces insertion.
“From the video, you can see that the Fennec’s main rotor hit the AW139 (HOM) on the latter’s portside,” he said.
“This suggests that the Fennec was experiencing a sideway skid from the centre of its turn.”
The analyst said the complexities of rehearsing for a multi-aircraft aerial display could have been compounded by the fact that the two helicopters were not based in the same place and were only training together for the first time.
“Pilot cohesiveness and understanding may have yet to be forged as well as it should before the event,” he added.
Mr Ridzwan suggested that based on open-source information he has reviewed, the crash on Apr 23 appears to be Malaysia’s worst military accident so far in terms of deaths.
Bernama reported that the latest collision is the eighth such incident involving both civilian and military helicopters in the past nine years.
In March this year, a Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency AW139 helicopter crashed into the sea near Angsa Island off the coast of Kuala Selangor during a rescue flight. Four crew members, including the pilot, survived after being rescued by fishermen.
In November 2020, two G2CA helicopters, each with two passengers, collided mid-air after taking off from Subang airport as part of flight training.
While the crew members of one helicopter managed to make an emergency landing and survive, the other helicopter crashed in Taman Melawati, killing both on board including a former naval officer.
