KUALA LUMPUR, July 20 — Malaysia has ruled out discussions with the Australian government regarding compensation for the families affected by the 1976 ‘Double Six’ plane crash, which claimed the lives of then Sabah chief minister Fuad Stephens and 10 others. Transport Minister Anthony Loke clarified that the official report on the incident attributed it to human error, not technical malfunction or sabotage, thus negating the need for compensation talks.
The Transport Ministry recently declassified findings of the crash, revealing that the likely cause was improper weight distribution leading to a control column exceeding its range during landing. An additional report from Australia’s Government Aircraft Factories also ruled out sabotage or fire, citing overloading as a potential factor. The tragic crash, occurring in Kota Kinabalu, took the lives of several key state ministers just 53 days into Fuad Stephens’ tenure.
