Elmina Air Crash Prompts New Rules On Foreign Registered Aircraft

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The Beechcraft 390 which crashed near Bandar Elmina in Shah Alam last August bore a US registration number. (Bernama pic)PETALING JAYA: Foreign-registered aircraft in Malaysia may not be chartered while officials carry out a review of regulations on such aircraft, according to the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM).
Unannounced inspections of foreign-registered aircraft will be carried out to ensure the aircraft adhere to local regulations, CAAM said in a letter to aircraft owners and operators.
The letter said all foreign registered aircraft are permitted to operate but cannot be chartered while awaiting proposed amendments to the civil aviation regulations.
CAAM chief executive Norazman Mahmud said the agency is in the process of introducing tighter rules on the operations of foreign-registered aircraft.
The review “will include introduction of a few other provisions to provide the industry and stakeholders options for their continuous operations”.
In the meantime, the authority will ensure more unannounced ramp inspections and surveillance is carried out.
“This buffer period will end on July 26,” he added.
Malaysia’s civil aviation regulations stipulates that foreign-registered aircraft are allowed to be used in Malaysian airspace for a maximum of six months unless with the approval of the regulator.
The CAAM statement comes in the wake of the crash of a US-registered Beechcraft 390 private jet in Shah Alam in August, killing 10 people.
The jet bore the registration number N28JV, denoting it is registered with the US Federal Aviation authority.
In September, a US-registered Airbus EC120B helicopter crashed in Bidor, killing the pilot, who held an FAA pilot’s licence.
The Aircraft Accident Investigation Board in its final report advised CAAM to look into the shortcomings of its oversight of the training of FAA licence holders operating in Malaysia. - FMT

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