BUTTERWORTH: A father is thankful that his son has survived a tragic crash at the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) base here in Teluk Ayer Tawar.

       “Alhamdulillah (Praise God), he is safe and conscious now, but is still under doctors’ observation.

       “I told him to always remember God and to be patient with what has happened,” said Omar Deros, 62, a retired RMAF major, who was speaking of his son, Mej Mohd Fareez Omar (pic).

       Having rushed all the way from Selangor to Seberang Jaya Hospital here, Omar said he managed to talk to his son, who was still a bit weak and did not talk much.

       “I still do not have much information about my son’s injuries, except that he might be operated on,” said Omar, adding that Mej Fareez, 33, is the second of five children.

       Fareez’s eldest brother is also in RMAF.

       In the 10pm incident on Tuesday, Kapt Mohamad Affendi Bustamy, 31, was killed while Mej Fareez was injured when the Hawk fighter jet they were flying, crash landed during a night training exercise.

       Kapt Mohamad Affendi’s sister, who only wanted to be known as Nur, said her elder brother was undergoing training at the RMAF base in Butterworth prior to the deadly crash.

       “He was responsible and filial towards his family.

       “We are deeply saddened by the incident, but have chosen to accept his death as fate,” she said, adding that Kapt Affendi and his wife, Nurul Izati Shari, had been living in Labuan.

       The eldest among his siblings, Kapt Mohamad Affendi had just won the Green Endorsement Award last month for his skill in landing an aircraft during an emergency.

       His remains have been brought back to his home town, Muadzam Shah in Pahang, for burial, following the completion of the post mortem at the Seberang Jaya hospital.