August 1, 2025Aug 1 Pictures courtesy of Naewna The House of Representatives’ Police Commission convened on 1 August, to address two fatal aircraft crashes involving Royal Thai Police aircraft that occurred within a 30-day period, resulting in the deaths of nine officers. The incidents have raised serious concerns about inadequate maintenance budgets and insufficient pilot training. The meeting, chaired by Ms Sunatcha Losathapornpipit, Democrat MP for Trang and Chair of the Police Commission, focused on a motion submitted by Mr Chuan Leekpai, former Prime Minister and Democrat list MP, who urged a thorough review into the circumstances surrounding the back-to-back crashes. Two Tragedies in 30 Days The first crash occurred on 25 April, when a DHC-6 Twin Otter aircraft used for parachute training crashed, killing all six onboard, including pilots and technicians. Less than a month later, on 4 May, a Bell 212 police helicopter went down during an operational flight, resulting in the deaths of three experienced pilots. “These incidents have resulted in the loss of highly skilled personnel,” Ms Sunatcha stated. “We must understand what led to these tragedies and how to prevent similar occurrences.” Shocking Revelations Mr Chuan highlighted a disturbing message reportedly sent by one of the deceased pilots to a colleague, warning that the helicopter was not airworthy and could crash at any moment. He expressed alarm at the state of the police aviation fleet, revealing that the Royal Thai Police own 71 aircraft, but only 24 are currently operational, while 27 are undergoing repairs and 24 have been decommissioned. “One of the 24 operational aircraft was involved in the recent crash,” Mr Chuan noted. “If we continue without reviewing the fleet’s condition, more lives could be lost.” He also raised the issue of whether future aircraft acquisitions should be standardised by type to improve training, maintenance and safety. Budget Constraints and Training Shortfalls Pol Col Khajornyut Anannap, Deputy Commander of the Police Aviation Division, acknowledged the profound loss and grief over the crashes. He admitted that the annual maintenance budget of 950 million baht is insufficient. However, any request for increased funding must be approved by the Royal Thai Police’s budget screening committee, which could affect allocations to other departments. Pol Lt Col Nitiwut Liabma, a flight instructor and aviation accident investigator, said that the investigation has yet to determine the full cause of the crashes. Preliminary analysis, based on wreckage, CCTV footage and black box data, reviewed with the aircraft manufacturer, suggests that in the April crash, the left propeller blade automatically shifted into a high-drag position three seconds after take-off, likely due to a mechanical failure. The pilots were unprepared to respond as they had never trained for such a failure scenario, as there is also a shortfall in the available, ongoing training. Next Steps The committee resolved to reconvene and pursue further investigations into the causes of the crashes, review the training protocols for police pilots and examine procurement and maintenance policies. “The loss of life is unacceptable,” Mr Chuan concluded. “We owe it to these officers to ensure that no such tragedy happens again.” Related articles: https://aseannow.com/topic/1358781-police-aircraft-crashes-into-sea-off-cha-am-leaving-four-dead/ https://aseannow.com/topic/1361652-helicopter-crash-in-prachuap-khiri-khan/ Adapted by Asean Now from Naewna 2025-08-02
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