

C/N 181
Mk.401 - FM-1025, G-BEYI
Herald C/N 181, a model 401, was the 28th built at Radlett making its first flight on 22nd September 1964. Ordered by the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) and given the registration FM-1025 it departed Radlett on delivery to No.4 Squadron on 3rd November 1964.
On Saturday 17th January 1977, FM-1025 was operating a flight from Kuching to Sempang Air Force Base when on lowering the gear for the landing at Sempang the crew noticed that the indication for gear locked down had not been provided for the left hand main gear. A visual check confirmed the gear had failed to fully extend. The captain decided to divert to Subang International Airport as there was a foam runway option available.
The crew completed a textbook emergency landing at Subang with the aircraft coming to a halt with its left wing on the ground. There was no fire and all 25 occupants made a safe escape without injury. With impending withdrawal of the type from service there was no attempt made to repair it by the RMAF and while the aircraft was sold along with the rest of the RMAF Herald fleet to British Air Ferries (BAF) an assessment of the work required to repair it by BAF concluded it was uneconomically viable to get it airworthy again. This decision was taken after it had already been placed on the British register as G-BEYI.
Sister aircraft G-BEYH, formerly FM-1024, was the last Herald to leave Malaysia and flew back to the United Kingdom full of recovered spare parts. The registration G-BEYI was cancelled as permanently withdrawn from use on 28 July 1983.

FM-1025 seen taxying in December 1972, location unknown. (Photo © Martin Fenner Collection)

A rare image of FM-1025 carrying out the emergency landing at Subang. The failed left hand main gear clear to see. (Image source unknown)
Timeline
1964 September 22 - First flight from Radlett Airfield, Hertfordshire
1964 November 3 - Delivered to No.4 Squadron the Royal Malaysian Air Force as FM-1025
1976 January 17 - Damaged beyond economical repair in belly landing at Subang International Airport, Malaysia
1977 July 13 - Sold to British Air Ferries (BAF) and placed on the British register as G-BEYI but not repaired and broken up in 1977