Military plane crashes in Pilar, Bataan
MANILA, Philippines – An SF-260TP plane belonging to the Philippine Air Force (PAF) crashed in the town of Pilar in Bataan on Wednesday morning, January 25, the military said.
PAF spokesperson Colonel Maria Consuelo Castillo said two pilots were flying the plane for “recurrency training” from Sangley, Cavite to Bataan, when the military lost track of the aircraft at 10:34 am or roughly 30 minutes into the flight.
“Right now, we confirm that there are reports that it crash-landed but our personnel are still to look at the crash,” Castillo said.
Castillo could not confirm the status of the two pilots, identified in a local police report as Captain Ian Gerru Paulo and John Paulo Aviso. The PAF is now investigating the incident.
An initial report from local police in Pilar town said the cops received a call at around 10:40 am from residents in Sitio Tabon, Barangay Del Rosario who witnessed “a plane fast descending downward to a field.”
Personnel from the Pilar municipal police station inspecting the area then found an Air Force plane marked with the number 29 “crashed in the middle of the field with two pilots, both servicemen of the Philippine Air Force still inside the cockpit.”
The PAF identified the SF-260TP as an attack aircraft asset in the PAF’s15th Strike Wing.
Following the crash, the military said all active SF-260TP aircraft will be grounded as a standard procedure while investigation into the crash was ongoing.
The crash in Bataan is the latest in a series of military aircraft accidents that have taken place in recent years. Since 2011, at least 16 accidents involving military aircraft have taken place, based on published reports. – Rappler.com