25 Years ago today: On 15 September 1995 a Malaysian Airlines Fokker 50 crashed on landing at Tawau, killing 34 out of 53 occupants; the first Fokker 50 write-off.
| Date: | Friday 15 September 1995 |
| Time: | 12:22 |
| Type: | Fokker 50 |
| Operator: | Malaysia Airlines |
| Registration: | 9M-MGH |
| C/n / msn: | 20174 |
| First flight: | 1990 |
| Crew: | Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 4 |
| Passengers: | Fatalities: 32 / Occupants: 49 |
| Total: | Fatalities: 34 / Occupants: 53 |
| Aircraft damage: | Damaged beyond repair |
| Location: | Tawau Airport (TWU) ( |
| Phase: | Landing (LDG) |
| Nature: | Domestic Scheduled Passenger |
| Departure airport: | Kota Kinabalu Airport (BKI/WBKK), Malaysia |
| Destination airport: | Tawau Airport (TWU/WBKW), Malaysia |
| Flightnumber: | MH2133 |
Narrative:
Flight MH2133 (Kota Kinabalu – Tawau) approached runway 17 but touched down 500 m before the end of the 2200 m long runway. While attempting to carry out a go-around, the aircraft crashed into a shantytown. On March 20, 1995 a Cessna Caravan had also crashed into houses following a failed takeoff.
Probable Cause:
According to the investigation report, the accident was probably caused by the pilot’s poor in-flight decision-making and failure to follow standard operating procedures. The report also pointed out the failure of the co-pilot to alert the captain of unsafe manoeuvres or take over control of the aircraft. Another contributing factor was the failure of the air traffic controller to provide positive air traffic services in controlled airspace.
