What happened
During the departure phase from Sibu Airport, an aircraft encountered a right engine fire alarm while climbing to an altitude of approximately 50 feet. In response to the alert, the pilot shut down the affected engine and feathered the propeller in an attempt to execute a return to the airfield.
During this maneuver, the aircraft lost airspeed and entered a stall. The plane subsequently impacted trees and came to rest in a heavily forested region situated roughly 5.6 km from the airport. Despite the impact, all 14 occupants were successfully rescued from the wreckage. The aircraft sustained damage that rendered it a total loss.
Findings
Investigations into the accident determined that the pilot failed to maintain sufficient altitude before attempting to return to the runway. As the aircraft moved away from the takeoff area and toward rising terrain, the crew performed several maneuvers to avoid obstacles and trees. These successive changes in heading significantly degraded the climb performance of the aircraft, ultimately leading to the loss of control.