Driver’s Panic After Forgetting ‘P’ Gear Sends SUV Crashing Into KKIA Departure Hall
66-year-old driver accidentally crashes SUV into Kota Kinabalu International Airport departure hall after forgetting park gear. Details on the August 2026 incident.
A 66-year-old driver accidentally accelerated into the Kota Kinabalu International Airport departure hall on August 8, 2026, after failing to engage the park gear during a driver switch, shattering glass doors and injuring herself with flying debris.
A white SUV ploughed through the glass entrance of the Kota Kinabalu International Airport departure hall at approximately 4.55pm on Friday, August 8, 2026, after a driver-switch attempt went wrong and the vehicle surged forward uncontrolled — an incident that has since drawn widespread attention following videos shared across social media platforms in Malaysia.
Kota Kinabalu police chief Shahrudin Husain confirmed the sequence of events in an official statement, attributing the crash at KKIA departure hall to a combination of a forgotten gear engagement and a panicked response at the wheel. The driver involved is a 66-year-old woman who had stopped just outside the terminal building to collect her son before handing over driving duties.
According to Shahrudin, as reported by Bernama, the woman failed to shift the SUV’s transmission into the “P” — or park — position before stepping away from the driver’s seat. The vehicle began rolling forward slowly. Startled, the woman instinctively stepped on the accelerator rather than the brake, sending the SUV lurching ahead with considerable force.
A Momentary Lapse At The Kerbside Becomes A Scene Of Destruction
The consequences unfolded rapidly. The accelerating SUV first struck another vehicle in the immediate vicinity before continuing forward and breaching the glass sliding doors at the entrance to the KKIA departure hall. The vehicle came to a final stop only after making contact with a structural pillar inside the terminal building, according to Shahrudin’s statement.
This was not a mechanical failure or a vehicle defect — it was a human error compounded by panic in a matter of seconds.
A forgotten gear position, a mistaken pedal, an impact with a second vehicle, and a breach of the terminal’s glass frontage: the sequence illustrates precisely how quickly an airport kerbside drop-off can become a dangerous incident.
Footage that circulated widely on social media in the hours after the crash showed the white SUV with significant front-end damage wedged into the terminal entrance, surrounded by shattered glass spread across the passenger walkway. The imagery prompted immediate public concern about safety at one of Sabah’s busiest air travel hubs.
From Drop-Off Lane To Impact, A Chain Of Events Lasting Seconds
The crash occurred during what would ordinarily be a routine pick-up stop outside the departure terminal. The 66-year-old driver had pulled up to collect her son from the terminal kerbside area — a common manoeuvre at any busy airport — before the two intended to swap positions in the vehicle.
It was at this transitional moment, as the woman prepared to relinquish the driver’s seat, that she was believed to have neglected to shift the gear selector to “P.” Airport terminal kerbside zones typically prohibit extended stationary parking, meaning vehicles often remain running during brief stops, which can create the conditions for precisely this type of incident when drivers step out or lean across to change positions without fully securing the vehicle.
According to Shahrudin’s statement, the driver had managed to exit the vehicle before the full collision occurred, which explains why she did not sustain more serious injuries from the impact itself. However, she was not entirely unscathed: flying glass shards from the shattered entrance doors caused minor facial injuries, and she was subsequently transported to Queen Elizabeth Hospital I in Kota Kinabalu for medical assessment and treatment.
Shahrudin confirmed that no passengers inside the departure hall and no airport personnel were injured during the incident. The glass entrance sustained visible structural damage, and debris was reported scattered across the passenger walkway area immediately inside the terminal.
No Passengers Injured, But The Terminal Entrance Tells A Different Story
The choice of language in Shahrudin’s statement is careful and precise. The Kota Kinabalu police chief attributed no mechanical fault to the vehicle and did not suggest any infrastructure failure at the airport. The crash at KKIA departure hall, in the official account, rests entirely on driver behaviour at the moment of the attempted handover.
Sourced accounts from prior reporting confirmed that the glass entrance of the terminal was damaged and that debris was scattered in the immediate vicinity of the walkway used by departing passengers. The official external account, as stated by Shahrudin to Bernama, places the time of the incident precisely at “about 4.55pm” on Friday.
Public information confirms the incident involved a privately owned SUV and took place at the KKIA departure terminal — there is no suggestion of involvement by airport operations staff or any authorised vehicle.
At the time of writing, no charges had been publicly confirmed in connection with the incident, and investigations remain ongoing under the Kota Kinabalu district police.
Frequently Asked Questions About The KKIA Departure Hall Car Crash
What caused the car to crash into the KKIA departure hall? Kota Kinabalu police chief Shahrudin Husain confirmed that the driver, a 66-year-old woman, failed to engage the “P” (park) gear before stepping out of the SUV during a driver-switch attempt outside the Kota Kinabalu International Airport departure terminal on August 8, 2026. The vehicle rolled forward, the driver panicked and accidentally pressed the accelerator, and the SUV crashed through the glass doors of the departure hall.
When did the KKIA car crash happen? The incident occurred at approximately 4.55pm on Friday, August 8, 2026, at the departure hall entrance of Kota Kinabalu International Airport (KKIA) in Sabah, Malaysia.
Was anyone injured in the KKIA terminal crash? The driver, a 66-year-old woman, sustained minor facial injuries from flying glass shards and was taken to Queen Elizabeth Hospital I in Kota Kinabalu for treatment. No passengers inside the departure hall and no airport staff were reported injured in the incident.
What damage did the car cause at the KKIA departure hall? The white SUV breached and shattered the glass entrance doors of the KKIA departure hall, scattered debris across the passenger walkway, and sustained heavy front-end damage after coming to a stop upon hitting a building pillar inside the terminal.
What vehicle was involved in the KKIA airport crash? The vehicle was a white SUV owned privately. Social media videos circulated after the incident showed the SUV lodged at the terminal entrance with significant damage to its front end and broken glass spread across the surrounding area.
Has anyone been charged in connection with the KKIA departure hall crash? As of the time of reporting, no charges had been publicly confirmed. Kota Kinabalu police, under the leadership of district police chief Shahrudin Husain, are continuing their investigation into the incident.
What advice did police issue following the KKIA crash? Following the crash at KKIA departure hall, Kota Kinabalu police urged all motorists to ensure their vehicles are fully and securely parked — with the gear properly engaged — before stepping out, even for brief stops at kerbside drop-off and pick-up zones.
A Routine Stop, A Costly Mistake — And A Public Safety Reminder
The incident at Kota Kinabalu International Airport on August 8, 2026, resulted in no fatalities and no injuries to members of the public inside the terminal — an outcome that, given the force of the impact, could have been considerably worse. The driver’s minor injuries and the structural damage to the glass frontage of the departure hall serve as a stark reminder of the risks attached to unsecured vehicles in high-footfall airport environments.
Kota Kinabalu police have used the incident as a public safety prompt, calling on drivers to treat kerbside stops — however brief — with the same care as any formal parking manoeuvre.
For more information on the KKIA departure hall car crash investigation, readers may contact:
- Kota Kinabalu District Police Headquarters (IPD Kota Kinabalu): Jalan Penampang, 88300 Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia
- General police enquiries (Malaysia): 999 (emergency) or 03-2266 2222 (Royal Malaysia Police general line)
- Kota Kinabalu International Airport (KKIA) operator — Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad: www.malaysiaairports.com.my
- MAHB Customer Care: +603-8777 7000
- KKIA Airport Address: Kota Kinabalu International Airport, 88150 Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia
