By Christine Fabro
The analysis on the contents of the Philippine Air Force (PAF) C-130 aircraft’s “black box” that was recovered from the crash site in Patikul, Sulu will take about a month, PAF Spokesperson Lt. Col. Maynard Mariano said on Sunday (July 10).
In a Laging Handa public briefing on Sunday, Mariano said that the flight data recorder or “black box” is now on its way to the air crash investigators in the United States.
“Sa ngayon, iyong ating black box is on the way papuntang United States. Ito po ay i-a-analyze doon at maghihintay po tayo ng kaunting panahon bago maibalik sa atin,” Mariano said.
The spokesperson added that it is ‘too early to say’ what really caused the incident, still, the authorities are doing everything to fast-track the investigation.
Meanwhile, the retrieval operations in the crash site are 100% completed, and some parts of the aircraft will be brought to Mactan, Cebu for repair and reconstruction.
“Isasakay po natin sa Navy vessel ang mga parte ng eroplano, at dadalhin po natin sa Mactan kung saan ibubuo po natin doon ang eroplanong ito at ire-reconstruct po natin at titingnan po natin iyong events na pwede pong nangyari sa eroplano,” Mariano said.
The incident happened on July 4 to be the deadliest military plane accident in the Philippines yet, which killed 52 people, including 49 soldiers onboard and three civilians on the ground.
All passengers of the plane are already accounted for, while the remaining 20 fatalities are still subject to identification. – rir
