By Dean Aubrey Caratiquet
The Philippine Air Force (PAF) said that it will conduct a thorough probe to determine the circumstances that led to the crash of one of its Siai-Marchetti SF-260 trainer aircraft in Benguet province on Wednesday morning, May 20, which led to the demise of its two pilots.
PAF Spokesperson Colonel Ma. Christina Basco said the plane, with tail number 10-39, went down at around 10:30 a.m. during a “navigation training flight.”
It is one of the ten aircraft that departed from Fernando Air Base in Lipa City, Batangas, and was en route to Baguio City as part of a navigation exercise to test flight planning and situational awareness over rugged terrain.
Reports say the incident was reported to local authorities at 11:40 a.m., and local responders eventually located the crash site after navigating a forested area of Mount Kabuyao in Poblacion, Tuba, Benguet.
The pilots were found to be unconscious and were immediately transported to the nearest medical facilities in the area, but eventually succumbed to their injuries.
In an update around 4:30 p.m., Col. Basco reported “We are deeply saddened to inform [you] that both pilots passed…”
PAF identified the fallen airmen as First Lieutenant Ruth Angelique Pasos and Second Lieutenant Cherky Embudo.
The Air Force Spokesperson concluded, “An investigation is underway to determine the cause of the accident. The PAF will release further updates once verified information becomes available.”
As of press time, the PAF continues to gather verified information about the parameters that caused the unfortunate incident and conduct recovery operations at the crash site.
jpv
