Kuantan fighter jet crash due to bird strike, says RMAF chief
The crash of the fighter jet at the Kuantan airbase last month has been confirmed to be due to a bird strike, which led to the failure of the aircraft’s left engine during take-off.
Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) chief Norazlan Aris said the finding was based on preliminary investigations conducted by a board of inquiry, which began its probe on Aug 22.
“All the evidence confirms that the crash was due to a bird strike involving a purple heron,” he told a press conference at the airbase today, according to Utusan Malaysia.
Norazlan said the investigation was carried out with assistance from the Science and Technology Research Institute for Defence, the chemistry department, the police, the wildlife and national parks department (Perhilitan), as well as the US Navy.
He said the bird species was identified through tests…
