Malaysia reveals pilot failures of 1976 Double Six plane crash, in push for greater transparency
- Sabah’s then chief minister Fuad Stephens, 10 others killed in June 6, 1976, incident as the plane crashed while preparing for landing in Kota Kinabalu
- No evidence of engine failure or sabotage found, says report, which is now publicly accessible on Malaysia’s transport ministry website
Past governments had refused to declassify the findings of the investigation on the crash – dubbed the Double Six Tragedy – which killed Sabah’s then chief minister Fuad Stephens and most of his cabinet, despite numerous calls over the years by state leaders to make the report public and provide closure for the families of the victims.
The Australian-made Air Nomad N-22B aircraft carrying Fuad and 10 others crashed while preparing for landing at the Kota Kinabalu International Airport on the afternoon of June 6, 1976. All 10 passengers and the sole pilot were killed.
They were returning from nearby Labuan island after a meeting with their federal counterparts to negotiate terms for the country to tap Sabah’s vast hydrocarbon reserves to develop a national oil and gas industry led by what has now become energy giant Petronas.
The release of the report, now publicly accessible on the transport ministry’s website, meant that the families could finally know what happened in the incident after waiting for 47 years, said Transport Minister Anthony Loke.