They knew the weather wasn’t ideal. But they had already made a promise to a patient.
“We’ve already arranged to meet the patient.”
Those were reportedly the words given by a medical helicopter crew before taking off despite poor visibility caused by haze. Hours later, the helicopter crashed in northern Sarawak, killing all five people on board.
The Flight Doctor Service (FDS) helicopter went down on 8th September around 3.40pm while carrying out a medical mission in the northern interior of Sarawak. The deaths were later confirmed by the Miri Resident and chairman of the Miri Disaster Management Committee, Garong Luang, based on reports from the Fire and Rescue Department and Health Ministry.
The five people on board were Captain Zainol, Dr Ainul Baroah Kamaruddin, Alexson Adit, Debra Moset and Jessie Paya. Captain Zainol was the pilot, while Dr Ainul was a medical officer. Alexson was an assistant medical officer, while Debra and Jessie were staff nurses.
Earlier, Dr Ainul’s sister-in-law also confirmed that the family had been contacted by the Health Ministry and informed of her death.
They had stopped for a drink before the flight
Before the tragedy, the crew had reportedly stopped at Long Siut for a short break.
A 61-year-old grocery shop owner, Bungan Tegong, said the helicopter landed there earlier in the afternoon and the crew came into her shop to buy drinks, shop for some items and rest. They stayed for around an hour before continuing their journey.
Bungan said she spoke with one of the female crew members, who told her that they would be heading to Long Lellang next. She even asked how long the journey would take. The crew member reportedly told her it would take around 10 minutes.
“Why fly in this weather?”
What happened next has made the tragedy even more heartbreaking.
According to Bungan, the crew had complained about the poor weather and haze before leaving. Feeling concerned, she asked why they were still going ahead with the flight.
Their response was simple:
They had already promised to meet a patient.
Bungan said Captain Zainol was also someone she knew, as he frequently stopped at Long Siut to refuel while carrying out FDS missions. The helicopter eventually left the area and later crashed at around 3.40pm.
No one survived
Authorities subsequently confirmed that all five people on board had died.
The crew had been carrying out a medical mission at the time of the crash, turning what began as another flight to help a patient into a devastating tragedy. For the families waiting for them, and for the patient they had promised to reach, the mission ended in heartbreak.
Authorities are expected to investigate the circumstances surrounding the crash, including the weather and flying conditions at the time.
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