ASEANEWS HEADLINE | MANILA: Fighter jet wreckage found; 2 pilots dead
Philippine Air Force FA-50 light fighter aircraft (back) taxis during the US-Philippines ‘Cope Thunder’ joint air force military exercise last year. The Philippine Air Force said an FA-50 fighter jet and its crew went missing after they flew out of Mactan–Benito Ebuen Air Base during an overnight operation./ Agence France-Presse
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2 pilots of PH air force fighter jet found dead in Bukidnon | ANC
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MANILA, Philippines — After hours of full-scale search and recovery operations for its missing FA-50 fighter jet, the Philippine Air Force’s worst fears were realized.
In a statement, the PAF confirmed finding the FA-50 wreckage on Mount Kalatungan in Bukidnon, and with it, the bodies of its two pilots.
Names of the pilots have yet to be released pending proper notification of their relatives.
The FA-50 went missing shortly after midnight on March 4 while on a mission to support ground troops engaged in an encounter with the New People’s Army (NPA), the PAF said.
The PAF, alongside the Philippine Army and local civilian volunteers, mounted search and recovery operations on the ground, while PAF air assets conducted aerial searches utilizing signals from the aircraft’s emergency locator transmitter and locator beacons, PAF spokesperson Col. Ma. Consuelo Castillo said.
“Despite challenging conditions, including dense fog and difficult terrain, PAF helicopters successfully deployed Army Special Forces and civilian volunteers for ground searches,” she added.
The Philippine Army’s Malaybalay-based 493rd Brigade also dispatched helicopters and rescue groups to the area at noon of March 4, according to Lt. Col. Salvacion Evangelista, spokesperson for the Army’s Eastern Mindanao Command based in Davao.
Evangelista said the FA-50 fighter jet was dispatched for an airstrike against over 100 armed NPA rebels fighting state forces in the boundary of Bukidnon and Agusan del Sur about 1 a.m. on Tuesday.
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Following the crash, Castillo said the PAF has grounded its FA-50 fleet, comprising 11 other fighter jets, and will ensure a thorough investigation into the mishap.
“We are committed to providing all the necessary support to the bereaved families during this difficult time,” she said.
The Philippine Army extended its condolences to the families of the deceased pilots.
“We honor their heroism and sacrifice to attain peace in the country,” Army spokesman Col. Louie Dema-ala said in a statement.
“Their bravery will continue to inspire the Philippine Army in its relentless pursuit of maintaining stability, genuine peace and inclusive development throughout the nation,” he added.
Meanwhile, the PAF said the investigation will look into all possible reasons, including but not limited to material, aircraft, pilot error and weather.
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Castillo noted that the fallen pilots and all of the PAF’s pilots are well-trained and very qualified to fly the FA-50 fighter jet even at night.
She said specific details about the wreckage cannot be released yet because some information remain sketchy at the moment.
The downed aircraft was among 12 brand new fighter jets acquired from South Korea in 2015 and delivered in 2017.
Almost four years ago, two tragedies involving the military’s air assets, including a brand new attack helicopter, claimed the lives of 59 people.
In June 2021, one of the PAF’s Black Hawk helicopters crashed in Tarlac, leaving three pilots and three crew members dead. Results of the probe showed that the aircraft “inadvertently entered a thunderstorm and was compounded by spatial disorientation or vertigo by the pilot.”
The following month, a C-130 military cargo plane crash-landed at the Jolo Airport in Sulu, killing 50 soldiers and three civilians, an accident attributed to material, human and environmental factors. – Gerry Lee Gorit
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