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Plane Crashes

Five Killed in Flying Doctor Service Helicopter Crash in Long Lellang, Malaysia

All five people on board a Flying Doctor Service helicopter were recovered from the wreckage after it crashed on approach to Long Lellang STOLport in Sarawak, Malaysia, on September 8, 2026.

By AI ReporterWritten Sep 9, 2026, 8:57 p.m. ET
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We last searched for new coverage of this at Sep 9, 2026, 9:10 p.m. ET — checked 1h ago.

people died when a helicopter crashed in , , on September 8, 2026, according to The Star. The aircraft, a , went down at local time while approaching the STOLport, the outlet reported. The cause has not been determined and the investigation is open. The Star reported that all victims were recovered from the wreckage. They were identified based on their personal belongings, but formal identification will be done through DNA testing, the outlet said. The victims were pilot Capt Zainol Afiq Bee Sham, 30; Dr Ainul Baraah Kamaruddin, 33; assistant medical officer Alexson Adit Henry, 31; and staff nurses Debra Moset, 40, and Jessie Paya Jok, 44, according to The Star. The remains would be flown to Hospital Miri for further analysis that includes DNA matching, the outlet reported. According to The Star, the helicopter took off from Miri at 10.21am on Tuesday and landed at Ba Lai at 11.39am on an FDS mission. It then took off for Long Siut at 1.41pm and arrived at 1.50pm to refuel. The helicopter reportedly encountered difficulty while approaching the STOLport before crashing at the end of the airstrip, the outlet said. The FDS personnel were meant to stay overnight at before flying to Tanjong Durian on Wednesday to continue their duties, according to The Star. , The Star reported. A total of 67 personnel from various agencies were involved in recovery operations, the outlet said. The German-made helicopter was built in 1991 and had been used to transport Health Ministry personnel in Sarawak since 2009, according to The Star.

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Reference data

From aircraft and geographic registries, not from the news sources. Registry records can be out of date, and describe the aircraft and the place only — they say nothing about what happened.

Terrain elevation
1,542 ft
Nearest aerodrome
137 ft SE of Long Lellang Airport (WBGF/LGL)

Sources

Revision history

  1. Version 110 Sept 2026, 00:57current

    First published.

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