Corroded valve downed Apache

Fault went undetected because helicopter’s computers did not generate any error messages

Teo Xuanwei

xuanwei@mediacorp.com.sg

SINGAPORE

The emergency landing, which sent the helicopter’s tail flying about 50m away, took the Ministry of Defence (Mindef) by surprise, said Defence Minister Teo Chee Hean, who revealed in Parliament yesterday the findings of the investigation into the incident.

“Prior to this, there were no reported incidents of the same nature,” said Mr Teo, who is also Deputy Prime Minister.

No one was injured in the emergency landing. Mr Teo praised the pilots for the way in which they handled the situation.

“The pilots, in my assessment, chose [Did pilots have a CHOICE    ? ? ? ?

What were the Other CHOICES    ? ? ? ?]

the place well, given the limited time that they had,” said Mr Teo, who noted that the emergency landing site was about 400m away from the nearest building.

[This time LUCKY does not equal to NEXT TIME LUCKY and EVERY TIME LUCKY     ? ? ? ?]

Several Members of Parliament had tabled questions on the incident, including its cause and what measures Mindef would take to prevent such episodes from happening again.

With investigations complete, Mr Teo said the corrosion of the anti-ice start bleed valve (AISBV) — which caused airflow into the engine to be disrupted — resulted in the breakdown.

It went undetected because the chopper’s computers did not generate any error messages, said Mr Teo.

[WHAT if computers fail AGAIN in future detection    ? ? ? ?]

And although the aircraft were regularly maintained, the Republic of Singapore Air Force’s maintenance crew did not notice the faulty part because it was not part of the manufacturer’s maintenance procedure to open up the AISBV for checks.

It was only when the engines were sent to the manufacturer Boeing for a full tear-down and inspection that the fault was discovered, said Mr Teo.

[that is to say, SAF will NEVER detect such corrosion during own inspection    ? ? ? ?]

Responding to Ang Mo Kio GRC MP Lee Bee Wah’s question on how old the helicopter in question was, Mr Teo would only say that before this incident, the RSAF had flown the Apache for more than 28,000 hours over eight years without any incidents.

The RSAF will replace the AISBV in all its Apaches with new ones or those recertified by Boeing, and test them thoroughly before clearing the Apaches for flying, he added.

It was also working with Boeing to see whether the maintenance procedures needed to be modified to prevent a repeat incident.

Training flights of the Apache and SeaHawk helicopters, which had been grounded, will progressively resume this week, he said.

He also assured the House that the RSAF maintained high safety standards and as part of all pre-flight procedures, pilots were briefed on the various open spaces identified as potential emergency landing sites.

During an emergency, the pilots would try

[DON'T TRY TRY  - JUST  DO  IT] 

to fly back to the nearest airbase immediately.

If not, they would attempt a safe landing at the nearest open space away from populated areas.

He said: “Our pilots are trained to ensure the safety of the public

[1st  STEP  in this SAFETY is to ENSURE FITNESS  of  the HELICOPTER    ? ? ? ?  ]

before making a decision to land in any of these open spaces, and will forego such a landing, even at risk to themselves, if there is a danger to population.”

[mOst  ENSURED  PROTOCOL is  to  BAN  LANDING IN PUBLIC]

[Is  PUBLIC LANDING  a  BREACH  of  INTERNAL SECURITY    ? ? ? ?]— A corroded component had caused both engines of an Apache attack helicopter to suddenly shut down — forcing it to land in an open field in Woodlands last month (picture).

After Mas Selamat’s escape, a new regime for detainees

Zul Othman

zul@mediacorp.com.sg

SINGAPORE

Classified under the red category, the former Jemaah Islamiyah leader is “heavily shackled whenever he needs to be moved out of his cell and will remain securely cuffed in the interview room”, Deputy Prime Minister Wong Kan Seng said yesterday in reply to questions from Members of Parliament.

Specifically for Mas Selamat, a larger Gurkha security escort team has also been put in place “to ensure his secure movement”, said Mr Wong.

Recaptured in Malaysia in May last year after more than a year on the run — Mas Selamat was handed back to Singapore last month by the Malaysian authorities.

It was Mas Selamat’s escape that led to the new regime whereby detainees come under three risk categories and are given different kinds of security assessment and privileges accordingly.

[Did Mas Selamat's escape make a MERITOCRATIC  contribution to Singapore's  Prison Security    ? ? ? ?]

[Yet this NEW  REGIME  sounded so  lame and childish like a game   ? ? ? ?]

With investigations in progress, some parts of his escape, such as how he evaded the manhunt or made his way to Malaysia, are still being determined.

“In this connection, Mas Selamat has not given a completely reliable account,” said Mr Wong, who is also the Home Affairs Minister.

What the detainee has disclosed about breaking out of Whitley Road Detention Centre “hasn’t been very much more than what he has revealed to the Malaysian authorities” and is “essentially consistent with the findings of the Committee of Inquiry (COI) which have been reported and made public”, Mr Wong added.

In the report released on April 21, 2008, the COI concluded that an unsecured window in a toilet cubicle gave Mas Selamat the opportunity to bolt from his captors.

“He began a routine to close the door of that toilet cubicle and turn on the tap in the cubicle on his next visits,” said Mr Wong, “He was trying to get the guards used to this routine during his family visits.

He also started hanging his pants over the top of the cubicle door, so as to deceive the guards into thinking that ... he was still inside the cubicle.”

The day he escaped, he claimed “he had put on three layers of clothing”, Mr Wong said.

Asked by Hougang MP Low Thia Khiang about the lessons learnt from the escape, Mr Wong said that besides tighter procedural measures, “significant physical works were carried out to address the key infrastructural weaknesses” found at WRDC in 2008.

Both the security procedures and the infrastructural measures have been audited by the Prisons Department, which will conduct inspections annually.

The new purpose-built detention centre at Changi Prisons Complex is expected to be completed in four to five years.

In reply to Holland-Bukit Timah MP Christopher de Souza’s question about whether Singapore is now safer with Mas Selamat back in detention, Mr Wong noted that in Indonesia, terrorism activities have not stopped even with the deaths of major terrorist leaders.

“Singapore’s security cannot be divorced from the security situation in our region. We’re an open economy and society.

The reality is the current terrorism activities there have not declined,” said Mr Wong.— Now that he is back, Mas Selamat Kastari (picture) is being detained at the highest risk level under a revised regime for detainees.

Clean Up treatment of cleaners

Letter from Jessie Chong

I AM writing about the treatment that my dad encountered and I hope companies out there can review and improve the working conditions for cleaners.

My dad, a senior citizen, got a job two weeks ago as a cleaner at a school.

[Is school  MERITOCRATIC    ? ? ? ?]

He was supposed to start work at 8.30am and promised a salary of about $800. After two days, he was told to start at 7am to clean the toilets before the students and teachers arrived and his pay was reduced to $650.

Subsequently, he was told to report to work by 6am to sweep the car park.

The MRT service starts only at 5.28am and the earliest bus service is around then.

There was no way he could arrive at work on time and the cost of taking a taxi — which we doubted his company would reimburse — would far exceed his salary.

My dad had no choice but to quit.