A general view of a plane crash scene in Shah Alam, Malaysia on August 17, 2023. Photo by Reuters/Hasnoor Hussain
A small private jet rammed a motorbike and a car as it attempted to land at an airport on the outskirts of the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur, killing at least 10 people, officials said on Thursday.
A Beechcraft Model 390 (Premier 1), a light private business jet, was carrying six passengers and two crew when it crashed near Elmina Township at 2:08 p.m. (0608 GMT) , just before it was due to land, the Selangor police chief said. Hussein Omar Khan told reporters.
The plane lost contact with the air traffic control tower and slammed into a motorcycle and a car on the highway, he said.
“There was no emergency call, the plane had been cleared to land,” Hussein Omar said.
A search and rescue mission is underway.
The country’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAAM) said the flight took off from the holiday island of Langkawi and was en route to Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport in Selangor, near the capital Kuala Lumpur.
CAAM chief executive Norazman Mahmud said the plane made first contact with the Subang air traffic control tower at 2:47 p.m. and landing clearance was given at 2:48 p.m.
“At 2:51 p.m., Subang Air Traffic Control Tower observed smoke coming from the crash site but no distress calls were made by the aircraft,” he said in a statement. communicated.
CAAM said the flight was operated by Jet Valet Sdn Bhd, a Malaysian private jet service company.
Jet Valet did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment, but local media quoted the company as saying it would cooperate with authorities in the investigation.