NILAI: The media should not rely on hearsay in their reports on the cause of the helicopter crash which killed Tan Sri Dr Jamaluddin Jarjis and five others, says Transport Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai.

Such reports, he said, should be avoided as investigators were still studying the aircraft’s voice and flight data recorders.

Liow said the report on the cause of the crash should be out in two weeks.

He said some media outlets had been quoting sources who might have given inaccurate information.

Investigators have retrieved the data from the cockpit voice and flight recorders, and have brought it back to Malaysia from Britain.

“We have to analyse the data in detail before we can find a conclusion and point out the reasons behind the crash,” he said after launching the MCA-organised Malaysian Chinese Women Blueprint (2015-2018) brainstorming session here yesterday.

Citing an example, Liow said a newspaper report had quoted sources as saying that the helicopter passengers had remained unusually quiet seconds before it crashed.

“The particular newspaper had claimed that while the passengers were chatty after the aircraft left Kuantan, there was a lull for several minutes right up to the crash.

“Such information could not be verified. We are still matching the findings from the in-flight instruments with information on the wreckage. You cannot say anything conclusive at this stage,” he said, adding that the media should also ensure that their sources were credible.

“This is a serious matter. You must have something concrete which is supported by facts before you report,” he said.

Liow said information on the flight data obtained by the investigators could also explain via a three-dimensional setting how the helicopter had crashed.

“Please wait and let us do our job. Once we have concluded investigations, we will reveal our findings,” he said.

The Dauphin 2 helicopter carrying Jamaluddin, the Prime Minister’s principal private secretary Datuk Azlin Alias, businessman Datuk Tan Huat Seang, pilot Capt Clifford Fournier, company assistant Aidiana Baizieva and bodyguard Mohd Razkan Seran crashed in a rubber plantation in Semenyih on April 3.

The ministry has set up a five-member investigation team, headed by DCA flight operations director Datuk Yahya Abdul Rahman to probe the cause of the crash.-thestar