Investigators had also sought help and advice from Airbus Helicopter, which manufactures the Fennec, on whether the Fennec’s instruments had any data that could help investigations.
But Airbus Helicopter said there were no instruments on board the Fennec with non volatile memory that could help with investigations, the navy said.
“Maintenance work on the two helicopters were found to have been carried out according to procedures and routines determined by the OEM (original equipment manufacturer),” it added.
“Samples of oil, lubricant and diesel were tested and deemed to be normal by the Science and Technology Research Institute for Defence.”
ALL CREW MEMBERS “FIT TO FLY”
Autopsies done on all crew members found that none of them had hypoglycemia – low blood sugar – or elements of fatigue. None of them used banned substances or had recorded or identified mental illnesses, the navy said.
“All crew members involved were deemed medically fit to fly,” it said, adding that the cause of death was “multiple injuries due to aviation crash”.
Nine of the 10 navy personnel were below 40 years old, Malaysia’s Defence Minister Mohamed Khaled Nordin previously said, adding that the youngest was 26 and the oldest was in his 40s.
The navy said on Thursday it has passed on compensation and donations to eligible victims’ next-of-kin, and has started a monthly pension scheme for them.
“The navy welcomes further donations through the Lumut Tragedy 24 fund, which is still open and will continue to be distributed to victims’ next-of-kin,” it said.
“We hope these efforts can help ease the burden faced by victims’ next-of-kin and families.”
