Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP)
Spokesperson Col. Ramon P. Zagala
The Armed Forces of the Philippines concluded that a combination of multiple factors caused the unfortunate crash of two of its aircraft in June and July this year.
Material, human, and environmental factors were determined by the Philippine Air Force Accident Investigation Board as the causes of the ill-fated C-130 crash in Sulu.
Based on the investigating team’s report, no single factor can be attributed to have exclusively caused the accident.
It was most probably due to actual or perceived material factors, and induced human factors which were aggravated by local and environment conditions.
The aircraft component, the environmental condition, and aircrew response led to unrecoverable stall in a critical phase of the aircraft operation.
A confluence of events also triggered the crash of the S-70i Black Hawk helicopter in Tarlac.
Investigators found out that the chopper inadvertently entered a thunderstorm that might have affected its systems and was compounded by spatial disorientation or vertigo [on the part of] the pilot, as the cause of the accident.
The goal of the investigation, based on international practice on handling crashed aircraft, was to determine the cause of the accident rather than apportion blame.
This will help us avoid similar events in the future by implementing additional safety initiatives, strengthening protocols and procedures, as well as instituting training interventions for our aircrew and personnel.
This shall put further protection [on] our assets, especially our members who continue to risk their lives to protect our people and the country. (AFP) – jlo
