Behind the scenes of air crash investigations: Ex-CAAM director unveils process
He said investigations carried out upon incidents were highly technical in nature, focusing on findings and recommendations without assigning liability or blame.
SHAH ALAM - While aviation incidents are often shrouded in conspiracy theories, former Department of Civil Aviation Malaysia (DCA) flight operations director Datuk Yahaya Abdul Rahman said there is a clear distinction between technical errors and foul play.
He said investigations carried out upon incidents were highly technical in nature, focusing on findings and recommendations without assigning liability or blame.
"We don't mean to blame anybody. We don't hold anyone responsible for whatever we find.
"During our investigation, if we find any foul play or sabotage, it becomes a police matter.
"So, what we do is lodge a police report or hand over the investigation to the police," he said in a Fireside Chat interview with Sinar Daily, recently.
Yahaya, who also served as the former Air Accident Investigation Bureau chief inspector at the Transport Ministry said the process was straightforward and technical, with investigations continuing until the technical aspects were fully addressed.
He cited an incident in Johor where a hijacker was on board. He said investigators heard two gunshots in the black box audio recording after the hijacker entered the cockpit.
The aircraft ultimately crashed as no one was able to control it and the case was handed over to the police.
Yahaya highlighted that in their investigations, they examined the possibility of negligence by organisations like the DCA now known as the Civil Aviation Authority Malaysia (CAAM), which issues licenses and runs certification programmes.
He explained that if an accident occurred, there could be negligence involved.
"That's why we conduct these investigations ourselves, though it can present a conflict of interest.
"The government decided to address this by establishing an independent body. Now, although the CAAM or DCA is still accountable to the minister, it operates through a separate channel," he added.
He stressed that the Air Accident Investigation Bureau reports directly to the minister, who appoints an Investigator in Charge (IIC) for each accident.
The minister may appoint an outsider with specialised expertise if necessary.
Yahaya said in his role as chief inspector of accidents, he oversaw the overall process, providing administrative support to the IIC.
During his tenure, he said a pool of trained investigators was introduced.
He emphasised that at the line level, they have trained investigators who were competent to assist the investigation body.
Yahaya said they maintained a list of these names for on-call duty, though not for immediate response.
"They are quite willing. The most important thing is their willingness to help. If there’s a major accident requiring 20 investigators with different backgrounds, we can call on them," he added.
