Weather Caused Hok Lundy Copter Crash: Officials

An investigation into the Novem­ber helicopter crash that took the life of then-National Police Com­missioner Hok Lundy has concluded that adverse weather was the sole cause of the accident, Svay Rieng Provincial Governor Chieng Am said Wednesday.

The aviation investigation team submitted the results of its probe into the Nov 9 crash to Prime Mini­ster Hun Sen in Jan­uary or Feb­ruary, Chieng Am said when contacted by telephone.

“The [State Secretariat of] Civil Aviation had finished the investigation and already concluded that it was caused by bad weather,” he said. “And they briefed it to Sam­dech [Hun Sen] already.”

The Eurocopter AS350 B2 Ecu­reuil, also known as a “Squir­rel,” crashed while flying in heavy rain in Rumduol district’s Kom­pong Chak commune, killing four people on board, including two pi­lots, Hok Lundy and RCAF Lieu­tenant General Sok Sa En.

Secretary of State for the Civil Aviation Secretariat Mao Havan­nal declined to provide details about the investigation, but confirmed that it has been wrapped up and that Hun Sen was briefed.

“The task force had conducted an [investigation] already,” he said.

Soy Sokhan, a secretary of state with the secretariat who led the team that investigated Hok Lun­dy’s helicopter crash, said Wed­nes­day that he was too busy to comment.

Once one of the most powerful and feared figures in Cam­bodia, Hok Lundy became police commissioner in 1994 and was a long-time staunch ally of the prime minister.

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