RIYADH: Prince Mit'eb Bin Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz, Minister of State, Cabinet Member and Commander of the National Guard offered his condolences to the family of First Lt. Pilot Mandeel Bin Faleh Al-Sibei, who died with three of his colleagues in the medical evacuation helicopter crash in Riyadh Friday. Abdul Muhsin Bin Abdul Aziz Al-Twaijri, Assistant Deputy Commander of the National Guard offered the condolences of Prince Mit'eb to Al-Sibei's father and family Sunday. “The martyr was our son and this is a loss for all of us. We offer condolences to all personnel of the National Guard. He died while carrying out a national duty on a blessed day.” Al-Twaijri was accompanied by several officials, heads of administrations in the National Guard and pilot colleagues of the late Al-Sibei. Okaz/Saudi Gazette have learnt that the cause of the ambulance helicopter crash was an engine problem. Tariq Al-Dakheel, the eldest son of the martyr, Capt. Pilot Khalid Al-Dakheel, told Okaz/Saudi Gazette that their father informed them he was supposed to take off with the helicopter at 10.00 A.M. Friday. However, because he wanted to transport a patient quickly to one of the Riyadh hospitals he took off at 5.15 A.M. “Forty-five minutes after took off there was an engine problem causing them to land in a rugged desert area in southern Riyadh.” “My father wanted to land safely, but because of the rugged terrain of the location, the helicopter fuel tank hit several rocks causing it to burst into flames and explode immediately. He managed to get out of the helicopter, but the flames engulfed him.” The others who died in the crash are Amjad Al-Iraqi, an Egyptian doctor and a Filipino nurse Rozila.
