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MINDEF has completed the investigations into the crash-landing of the Super-Puma AS332 helicopter at Sembawang Airbase .
The crash-landing was due to an error made during take-off by the pilot in control of the aircraft, who was a junior pilot on a training flight. He was undergoing continuation training to improve his proficiency, something that all pilots do. As the aircraft lifted off the ground, it experienced a left yaw. A left yaw means that the nose of the helicopter was swinging to the left. The pilot immediately tried to correct the yaw, but assessed that the aircraft was not responding as quickly as he wanted it to. As his attention was overly-focused on correcting the yaw, he did not simultaneously increase the power of the aircraft, as was required. As a result, the helicopter lost height, hit the ground and rolled over in a matter of seconds. Under such circumstances, the senior pilot supervising him was not able to take over control of the aircraft.
Flying an aircraft is a complex task requiring the pilot to carry out multiple actions at the same time. In this particular instance, the pilot over-focused on one action which rapidly resulted in the crash.
The RSAF immediately ceased all flying on this aircraft type. After ascertaining that the cause was pilot error, and ruling out mechanical failure, flying was allowed to resume. Before doing so, the RSAF took immediate steps to review its pilot training and flight operations. These were found to be adequate for equipping our pilots with the skills to operate aircraft safely and competently.
The pilot concerned was put on a revalidation package that included simulator training and check-flights by instructor pilots. He has since resumed flight training. The Squadron also put other junior pilots on an enhancement programme, which included increased supervision and simulator training, to ensure flying competency is maintained at a high level.
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