The Double Six Crash, also known as the Double Six Tragedy (referring to 6 June), was a crash, involving a GAF N-22B Nomad of Sabah Air, which took place on 6 June 1976 at Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia, killing several local political leaders, including two top leaders - Tun Fuad Stephens and Datuk Peter Mojuntin.

Tun Fuad insisted that his eldest son Johari should follow him to Labuan in order to visit the official opening of RM 100 million oil refinery.

After that, they decided to return to Kota Kinabalu earlier for the preparation of an official banquet at Istana Negeri (State Palace) at night where Tengku Razaleigh and Tun Fuad were to sign the Petronas deal.

[7] However, Harris Salleh, in an interview with the Sabah newspaper Daily Express, stated that "Tun Fuad 100 percent supported the arrangement by Parliament.

"[8][9] At 3:00 pm, Tun Fuad, Tengku Razaleigh, and other BERJAYA leaders boarded the government-chartered, twin engine, ten-seater Australian Nomad aircraft owned by Sabah Air.

[1] Peter originally planned to board the Malaysia Airlines (MAS) flight back to Kota Kinabalu at 1:30 pm scheduled on the same day.

[1] Peter also cancelled the MAS flight and declined an invitation to travel in another GAF Nomad aircraft that were seated with another BERJAYA leader Datuk Harris Salleh and Sarawak chief minister Abdul Rahman Ya'kub.

[4][10][11] Ishak Atan, the private secretary to Tengku Razaleigh, decided to stay back with Tun Fuad's aircraft because he wanted to prepare the documents for the signing ceremony in Kota Kinabalu.

[1] Tun Fuad's aircraft also carried heavy goods from the duty-free port of Labuan such as golf equipment and colour television sets.

[2] However, Tengku Razaleigh gave a different account of the last minute events in the book titled "The Sabahan: The Life and Death of Tun Fuad Stephens" which was published back in 1999.

Tengku claimed that he met Harris Salleh at the beach near the Layang-Layang village when the latter asked him to go to Banggi Island to inspect a cattle ranch.

[1] According to Borneo Bulletin newspaper published on 12 June 1976, Tun Fuad's son, Johari Stephens (a 24-year-old trainee pilot) asked if he could ride the aircraft in the co-pilot seat.

It was claimed that the ground control tower instructed the aircraft to make another turn because of an inbound Malaysia Airlines Boeing 737 flight to the airport.

The crash scene was just 50 feet from the nearest houses of the village of Kampung Sembulan Baru which the aircraft had just flown over[2] and 3 km from the airport.

[2] Ben Stephens and the Police Commissioner managed to pull out the remains of Corporal Said, Tun Fuad's bodyguard, who had been seated at the back of the aircraft.

[15] USNO had agreed not to contest in the by-elections, leaving BERJAYA to face the competitions by candidates representing independents as well as rival parties namely the Sabah Chinese Association (SCA), BERSATU and PEKEMAS.

[12] At 6:00 pm on the same day, the then-deputy chief minister of Sabah, Datuk Harris Salleh, choking with emotions, broke the sad news to the nation.

He said that:[2] Tun Fuad and his party were returning to Kota Kinabalu from Labuan when Sabah Air Nomad Aircraft, coming to land at the airport, spun and crashed.

However, after Tengku Razaleigh's persuasions,[1] Harris was sworn in as the sixth chief minister of Sabah just before midnight on the same day in accordance with the provisions of the state's constitution as well as order of succession to the leadership.

[1] A public holiday was declared on 7 June 1976 and flags were flown at half mast by the state and federal government departments as well as in commercial premises and private houses.

Besides, the chief minister from the neighbouring state of Sarawak Abdul Rahman Ya'kub had also signed the agreement after an extensive discussion with Tengku Razaleigh.

[1] Australian GAF Nomad aircraft manufacturer decided to launch an investigation in order to prove that the crash was not due to a mechanical defect.

[2]On 22 June 1976, Australian Broadcasting Corporation announced the findings from the GAF investigations, which determined that the cause of the accident was due to pilot error; however, additional details was not released by them.

[25] On 11 July 2022, former Chief Minister of Sabah Harris Salleh filed a judicial review to declassify the Malaysian investigation report, citing Articles 8 and 10 of the Constitution of Malaysia and Section 2C of the Official Secrets Act 1972.

[26] On 8 March 2023, the High Court of Kota Kinabalu ordered the federal government to declassify the final investigations report of the plane crash in three months.

[27] Initially, the Attorney General's Chamber (AGC) filed an appeal;[28] however Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim later announced on 5 April that the federal government had agreed to declassify the final investigation report.

[1] However, in 2004, both Toh Puan Hajjah Rahimah Stephens (wife of Tun Fuad) and Datuk Harris Salleh agreed that "pilot error" was the main cause of the crash.

It was the aircraft crash flown by Glen Donovan on 12 March 1990 that caused a mutiny among Australian army pilots and the usage of all military Nomads were discontinued after that.

In July 2010, former Sabah chief minister Harris Salleh filed a defamation suit against another former Sabah chief minister Yong Teck Lee following claims that Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah (former Petronas chairman) did not board the ill-fated flight when Harris asked Razaleigh to join him for another flight to Banggi Island to inspect a cattle farm.

[48] In June 2024, chairman of NGO Sunduvan Sabah, Aloysius Danim Siap said the group wants the younger generation to learn how the Double Six crash changed the state's political landscape.