a day ago
Long-awaited moment turns sour in copter crash
JOHOR BARU: Sergeant Siti Latipa Khairuddin, 54, had been eagerly looking forward to her first-ever helicopter ride in her decades-long policing career — but that long-awaited moment ended in disaster when the aircraft crashed near Sungai Pulai, Gelang Patah, on Thursday (July 10).
Her youngest son, Mohamad Hariz Akmal Mohd Jais, 21, said the excitement quickly turned to horror when the family received news that the AS355N helicopter had gone down just minutes after take-off.
Latipa, was among five police crew members injured in Thursday's helicopter crash.
"Mak was excited to fly in a helicopter for the first time in her career," Hariz said.
Just moments before take-off, she had snapped a selfie and sent it to the family's WhatsApp group, beaming with excitement over her maiden chopper flight in her decades-long service.
"She told us the day before how thrilled she was. On the day of the flight, she sent a photo of herself inside the helicopter. That was the last we heard before a policeman knocked on our door," said Hariz said when met at the lobby of Hospital Sultanah Aminah (HSA) today.
He recalled how the family — including his father and older brother — were stunned when informed that the helicopter had gone down, just a 10-minute drive from their quarters at the Tanjung Kupang Police Station.
"We rushed to HSA and waited anxiously at the emergency and trauma department," said the Polytechnic Ibrahim Sultan student.
Now on the road to recovery, Latipa remains under close medical supervision and has not yet been allowed to consume solid food.
"She's conscious, can speak, and is responding well. But doctors have advised only fluids — water and milk — for now to avoid complications with her internal injuries."
He added that his mother sustained a broken second ankle bone, a cracked left hip, and multiple bruises and cuts from the impact.
Latipa was one of five crew members aboard the AS355N helicopter that crashed near the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency jetty during a flypast in the multi-agency simulation held in conjunction with the Nuclear Security Detection Exercise Malaysia-Indonesia-Thailand-Singapore 2025.
