I was going to have a reasonably early night, but I have a bone to pick, and I don't think it should wait. Who with? In general, people who don't put safety first, and today, more specifically, the Malaysian Defence force and the cabinet.
Last Friday, a Nuri helicopter carrying armed forces personnel crashed. Only in the last day or two did they find the wreckage. There were no survivors.
It appears that this is not the first time such a tragedy has occurred. According to The Star Online:
"The incident was the latest of several crashes, many of them causing the death of armed forces personnel, involving Nuri helicopters."
In today's newspaper, it was announced that the cabinet approved for 20 helicopters between 30-40 years old(!) to be phased out in the next 3 years. They decided this yesterday. Yesterday! Now, I'm no expert on helicopters, but surely one that is 40 y.o. should have been replaced ages ago?
Why has it taken this long to act? Why does it take not one, but numerous tragedies to push the Defence Force and the government into action? I am so dumbfounded and incredulous at the thought that lives are put at risk to save some money. Defence force personnel have pledged to serve their country and keep its people safe, but sadly their sacrifices do not seem to be valued enough. Their families should not be repaid in this way. It is not just that they have lost loved ones, but having to wait for days for the bodies to be found, and feeling somehow that the loss could have been avoided, had the choppers been replaced earlier. No amount of apologies or compensation money for widow(er)s or families can replace a life - that was someone's parent, life partner, and/or child. When will anyone dealing with aircraft (and safety issues) get this?
Three years ago, my sister's friend lost her father, a well-loved local politician, in a helicopter crash in Sarawak in 2004. If memory serves me correctly, it took 2 weeks to find the crash site. I did not know the family personally, but the waiting period alone must have been a terrible thing to go through. My sister's friend was 16 at the time, and had siblings younger than herself. That crashed also claimed the life of one of my parents' friends.
So, I ask again, whether the loss of life was necessary and avoidable. The most recent crash was not the result of some natural disaster, or anything outside human control. If it had been, then maybe it would arguably have been unavoidable. But crashes that are the result of faulty aircraft? I think that those in charge should be more accountable. Don't just say 'we'll buy new ones now and "pray" that nothing happens with the other old aircraft in the meantime'. I don't buy that, and I don't think other Malaysians should either.
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2 comments:
Aeroplanes and Helicopters are very expensive to buy. As a result, they tend to have a fairly long lifecycle, but over the duration of their life they are re-built numerous times.
If the crash was a result of mechanical failure, ie. something snapped, then yes, they probably should have been retired, however most crashes are the result of either pilot error, or incorrect maintenance - for example forgetting to replace a split pin as was recently bought up in our media. (a split pin is a quarter the size of a hair clip)
The answer to the problem? World Peace. :)
i spend far too much time reading the same blog more than once.
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