PETALING JAYA, Aug 18 — The widow of former Pelangai assemblyman Johari Harun, who was among 10 people killed in a plane crash near Elmina, Selangor last year, has taken legal action against the operator of the aircraft.
Free Malaysia Today reported that according to the statement of claim filed on August 15, Jet Valet Sdn Bhd and its parent company, Koperasi Amanah Pelaburan, were named as defendants.
The plaintiffs are Johari’s widow, Maziah Sudin, together with Tengku Erina Ungku Abdul Malek and Nizatul Akmar Nasir, the wives of crash victims Naim Muaidi and Khairil Azwan Jamaluddin.
They are seeking special, general, aggravated and/or exemplary damages, as well as compensation for funeral expenses and bereavement.
On August 17, 2023, the privately owned Beechcraft Model 390 (Premier 1) bearing registration number N28JV crashed in Elmina.
The tragedy claimed 10 lives — killing all eight on board (six passengers and two flight crew members), one e-hailing driver and a p-hailing motorcyclist.
The Ministry of Transport initially stated that the crash was confirmed to have resulted from a loss of control during flight due to an unintended protocol issue.
Malaysia’s air accident investigators last year said the crash was caused by the flight crew’s accidental or unintended action before the aircraft could land, and factors such as the two pilots being in the wrong seats.
The Air Accident Investigation Bureau report said the main cause was due to the flight crew’s “inadvertent” extension of the lift dump spoilers, while performing the “Before Landing” checklist. It said this action was most likely by the pilot, who was second-in-command.
In other words, this rapid loss of lift caused the aircraft’s severe and uncontrollable descent — which also matched what witnesses observed and video recordings of the plane just before it crashed.
