SINGAPORE: Aloysius Pang, the actor who died in a military training accident, was crushed between the gun barrel of a howitzer and its cabin after he was unable to get out of the way as the barrel was lowered.
This was revealed by Chief of Army Major-General (MG) Goh Si Hou at a press conference on Thursday (Jan 24).
Chief of Army MG Goh Si Hou speaking at the press conference on the death of Aloysius Pang on Jan 24, 2019. (Photo: Jeremy Long)
Pang, 28, an armament technician with the 268th Battalion Singapore Artillery, was on reservist at the Waiouru Training Area in New Zealand as part of an annual Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) exercise called Exercise Thunder Warrior.
On Jan 19, he was tasked to repair a suspected fault in the gun barrel of a Singapore Self-Propelled Howitzer (SSPH). As Pang, another technician and a gun detachment commander were inside the howitzer cabin, the gun barrel was lowered to its standby position.
“It appears from the initial findings that Aloysius was unable to get out of the way as the gun barrel was lowered,” said MG Goh. “He was caught between the end of the gun barrel and the interior of the SSPH and he suffered crush injuries as a result.”
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According to MG Goh, when the gun barrel is lowered, the space in the howitzer cabin is reduced. But the space is “typically sufficient” for artillery operators as well as technicians to operate, he said.
“What we found is that unfortunately, he was unable to get out of the way of the barrel as it was lowered,” MG Goh said.
The gun barrel is lowered from within the cabin, and it takes about nine to 10 seconds for it to be fully lowered from a standby position, said Colonel (COL) Terry Tan, commander of the Combat Service Support and Command (CSSCOM).
When asked who lowered the gun barrel and if there were any lapses in safety procedures, MG Goh said this will be the focus of the investigation. It was “not appropriate” to go into details until the investigation is completed, he said.
PANG WAS “QUALIFIED, COMPETENT”: CSSCOM COMMANDER
Pang was “qualified and competent” as an armament technician, said COL Tan.
Before an exercise of this scale, NSmen have to undergo a comprehensive training programme, he said. Maintenance crew members like Pang go through refresher training on equipment inspection as well as maintenance tasks such as demonstrations by trainers and hands-on training. Additional practical sessions on troubleshooting and common faults are also conducted, he said.
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“All these are done with emphasis on training safety and precaution as they go about these maintenance tasks,” COL Tan said.
“Aloysius has undergone this refresher training and is qualified and competent to do his job in Exercise Thunder Warrior,” he added.
WHAT HAPPENED
Pang, who held the rank of Corporal First Class (National Service), died four days after the accident happened on Saturday.
After he was injured, Pang was evacuated to Waikato Hospital, a regional trauma centre where he underwent three operations to treat his injuries. After the first operation and a follow-up operation, Tan Tock Seng Hospital’s chief of trauma and acute care surgery Dr Teo Li Tserng said on Monday that Pang’s condition had stabilised.
He was also said to be awake and breathing on his own without any mechanical ventilation.
However, Pang’s condition took a turn for the worse and required additional surgery, said MINDEF on Wednesday. Despite another operation to repair damaged organs and artificial life support for his lungs, kidneys and heart, Pang died.
An independent Committee of Inquiry will be convened to investigate the circumstances leading to the incident.
READ: Aloysius Pang: 4th SAF training fatality in 18 months
Pang’s death is the fourth military training-related death in the last 18 months.
On Sep 15, 2017, 21-year-old full-time national serviceman (NSF) Gavin Chan died after he was ejected from a Bionix infantry fighting vehicle at the Shoalwater Bay Training Area in Queensland, Australia.
On Apr 30 the following year, NSF Dave Lee, 19, died nearly two weeks after suffering a heatstroke following an 8km fast march.
Seven months later on Nov 3, NSF Liu Kai, 22, died after a Bionix vehicle reversed into his jeep during a field exercise at the Jalan Murai training area.
