BANGKOK: Two police pilots warned a friend of possible crash risk with ageing Bell 212 helicopter night before fatal Royal Thai Police crash.

A friend of the two Royal Thai Police pilots killed in a Bell 212 helicopter crash revealed that the pilots had discussed the high risk of a crash the night before the fatal incident.

Police Captain Sithit Amthanom, 37, posted on Facebook that the two pilots had told him on Friday (May 23) night the Bell 212 helicopter was not fit for flying. The aircraft, part of the Royal Thai Police’s Aviation Division since 1973, has served for nearly five decades but is now considered aged and unsafe.

The tragic crash in Prachuap Khiri Khan on Saturday claimed the lives of three officers: Police Major Pratheung Chulert (pilot), Police Captain Songphol Boonchai (pilot), and Police Lieutenant Thinnakrit Suwannoi (mechanic).

Sithit said he met the two pilots the night before the crash, and they admitted to risking their lives every time they flew the Bell 212 helicopter due to its poor condition—not due to pilot error.

“Less than 24 hours after they confided in me, both friends were gone because of the danger they always feared,” Sithit wrote.

He expressed anger over the situation and praised their courage for flying despite the risks.

Sithit criticised the RTP’s policy of having new pilots train on old helicopters while experienced pilots flew newer aircraft. “There is a joke among us that old pilots use new aircraft and new pilots use old ones,” he said.

He also shared a message from Pratheung confirming the helicopter was old and not ready to fly, adding that police pilots allowed to use new helicopters did not have to endure the same risks. - The Nation/ANN