2 Philippine Air Force pilots die in Bataan crash

Two pilots died after a Philippine Air Force (PAF) plane crashed in Bataan late Wednesday morning, according to the Pilar Municipal Police Station.

“Opo (Yes),” Pilar MPS Police Staff Sergeant Edgardo DC Delos Santos said.

ADVERTISEMENT

According to the PAF, two pilots were killed and no civilians were injured in the incident.

“Two PAF pilots perished in the mishap while no civilian casualties were reported. Our aircraft accident investigation team [is] already at the site for a thorough investigation, while our SF260TP fleet has been grounded,” the PAF said.

Colonel Maria Consuelo Castillo, a spokesperson for the Philippine Air Force, stated that one of their SF-260 planes, with two PAF pilots from Sangley Point in Cavite City, crashed in Bataan.

ADVERTISEMENT

“Unfortunately, one of our SF260 aircraft crash landed in Bataan just this late morning. We confirm that it is one of our Air Force aircraft, the SF260 aircraft from Sangley. It was on a recurrency training and that there were two pilots involved,” she told reporters.

“Unfortunately we cannot give details more than that. Investigation is ongoing,” Castillo added.

The airplane with body number 29 crashed in a field at Sitio Tabon in Barangay Del Rosario in Pilar, Bataan, according to the Pilar MPS report.

ADVERTISEMENT

2 Philippine Air Force pilots die in Bataan crash

“Immediately personnel of this station responded to the crashed site and found out an Air Force plane with number 29 crashed in the middle of the field with pilots both servicemen of PAF still inside the cockpit,” the report said.

Witnesses reported that the incident happened at about 10:42 a.m.

According to Castillo, the plane was scheduled to take off from Sangley at around 9:59 a.m.

She said that they lost track of the plane at 10:34 a.m.

A Cessna aircraft with six people on board was reported missing in Isabela province the day before the incident.

Captain Eleazar Mark Joven is flying the missing Cessna RPC 1174, together with passengers Tommy Manday, Val Kamatoy, Mark Eiron Siguerra, Xam Siguerra, and Josefa Perla Espaa.

According to Eric Apolonio, spokesman for the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP), they got a report that a C206 plane bearing the registration number RPC1174 failed to arrive at Maconacon Airport as scheduled on Tuesday at 3:17 p.m.

Visit our Facebook page for more news updates.