SUBANG, Malaysia — A helicopter fire grounded flights at Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport on Aug. 15, after a Kamov Ka-32S caught fire during a maintenance engine ground run. The blaze temporarily closed the runway, injured a bystander, and forced eight inbound flights to divert. The airport, often called Subang Airport, sits just west of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia’s capital. It functions as the city’s older, secondary airfield — smaller and closer to downtown than the much larger Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA), which handles most long-haul traffic today.
The Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM) confirmed the helicopter fire incident occurred at approximately 12:28 p.m. local time. The aircraft was a Ukraine-registered Ka-32S with tail number UR-CIT. It was undergoing an engine ground run as part of post-repair maintenance. The incident happened near Taxiway Victor, according to CAAM chief executive Capt. Datuk Norazman Mahmud.
Four Ukrainian Crew Escaped the Burning Aircraft
Four Ukrainian nationals — a pilot, co-pilot, and two additional crew members — were aboard or working around the helicopter during the test run. All four escaped as flames engulfed the aircraft. One bystander outside the helicopter was struck by flying debris and sustained minor injuries, officials said. No other casualties were reported.
The Selangor Fire and Rescue Department said it received an emergency call at 12:30 p.m. and found the Ka-32 “fully engulfed in flames” on arrival. Five firefighters from the Bukit Jelutong Fire and Rescue Station responded with a fire rescue tender. They worked alongside the airport’s own Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting Service crews to extinguish the blaze.
The Ka-32 is a Russian-designed, coaxial-rotor medium utility helicopter used worldwide for aerial firefighting, heavy-lift cargo work, and search and rescue — not passenger transport. The aircraft was undergoing maintenance rather than active flying when the fire broke out. KarbonMRO, an aviation maintenance company based at the airport, said the helicopter was not its customer. The company added that the incident did not occur at its facility, distancing itself as speculation spread about which provider was involved.
Subang Helicopter Fire Disrupted Kuala Lumpur-Area Air Traffic
CAAM ordered a full suspension of arrivals and departures immediately after the fire. Eight inbound flights bound for Subang were diverted to other airports, and three scheduled departures were delayed. Scoot’s Singapore-bound TR475 was retimed and departed at 4:20 p.m. Firefly flight FY3127, inbound from Singapore’s Seletar Airport, diverted to Langkawi before continuing to Subang later that afternoon.
Subang serves as a hub for regional turboprop and low-cost carrier routes. Those routes connect the Klang Valley — the greater Kuala Lumpur metropolitan area, home to roughly 8 million people — to destinations across Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia. KLIA sits about 50 kilometers south of the city and handles international widebody traffic. Subang, by contrast, is a shorter regional hop closer to downtown, which makes even brief closures disruptive to same-day connections.
The runway reopened at 2:57 p.m., roughly two and a half hours after the fire broke out. CAAM advised affected passengers to contact their airlines directly for updated schedules.
Ground-Run Fires Underscore Engine-Test Debris Risk
Engine ground runs verify repairs before an aircraft returns to service. They are inherently higher-risk operations. A fire during a stationary ground test generates the same hazards as an airborne emergency: intense heat, fuel-fed flames, and flying debris capable of injuring nearby personnel. The debris-strike injury in Subang is a reminder that ground crews near active engine runs face real proximity risk, even when an aircraft never leaves the pavement.
A helicopter fire on an active taxiway also creates an immediate runway-safety problem independent of the original mechanical failure. Burned wreckage, fire-suppression foam, and scattered debris all have to be cleared before normal operations can safely resume. That is the same category of hazard that closed a runway earlier this year at a Hellenic Air Force F-16 belly landing at Zakynthos, Greece, which likewise required a full stop of traffic and pavement decontamination before reopening.
CAAM said the Air Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), under Malaysia’s Ministry of Transport, will investigate in accordance with Part XXVI of the Civil Aviation Regulations 2016. The cause of the fire has not yet been determined, and no additional findings have been released as of publication.
Sources
- Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia — News Release: Helicopter Fire Incident at Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport, Subang
- The Star — Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport runway reopens after helicopter explosion
- The Straits Times — Subang Airport runway reopens after helicopter fire incident
- Malay Mail — Helicopter catches fire during engine test at Subang airport
- Malay Mail — Aviation company distances itself from Subang helicopter fire
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