Plane crash final count: 49 soldiers, 3 civilians dead
THE Armed Forces yesterday turned its focus on investigating the crash of a C-130 transport plane in Sulu on Sunday, as it ended search and retrieval operations for the 96 military personnel on board.
It said the 96 aboard the Air Force’s C-130 plane have all been accounted for, with 49 of them killed and 47 injured and rescued.
Three civilians have also died, bringing the death toll to 52.
Armed Forces chief Gen. Cirilito Sobejana has ordered military camps to fly the Philippine flag at half-staff for six days as part of the military mourning, said Navy Capt. Jonathan Zata, chief of the AFP public affairs office.
Sobejana flew to Zamboanga City yesterday to check on the condition of the wounded soldiers.
President Duterte bestowed the Order of Lapu-Lapu, Rank of Kalasag, on the slain soldiers and the Order of Lapu-Lapu, Rank of Kampilan, to the wounded soldiers.
“They died for our country and for that I am very grateful to those who died and those who suffered,” he said during a visit Camp Navarro General Hospital in Zamboanga City
The United States sent its condolences. “Our thoughts are with those who were injured and the families of those who were lost. We stand shoulder to shoulder with our Philippine allies at this difficult time and are ready to provide all appropriate support to the Philippines’ response effort,” said National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan in a statement posted on the the US Embassy website.
Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana ordered the investigation into the country’s worst military air disaster in nearly 30 years.
Military officials earlier said the plane overshot the runway of the Jolo airport, failed to regain power, and hit the ground moments later. The plane exploded and was engulfed by fire.
On board the aircraft were three pilots, five crew members and 88 soldiers who were being re-deployed from Cagayan de Oro City to Sulu to fight the Abu Sayyaf terrorist group.
The plane first came from Villamor Air Base in Pasay City to transport Maj. Gen. Romeo Brawner and his family for his assumption as commander of the 4th Infantry Division based in the Cagayan de Oro City. The plane then loaded troops from the city and headed for Sulu where it crashed on a settlement area, killing three residents and wounding four others on the ground.
In a press briefing, Armed Forces spokesman Maj. Gen. Edgard Arevalo said some of the bodies were charred and could not be immediately identified but the military has the means to identify them, like dental records and forensics experts.
Arevalo also said a team of investigators from the Air Force arrived Sulu yesterday, and efforts are ongoing to retrieve the aircraft’s black box or flight data recorder.
“We would like to inform you that apart from the eye witnesses accounts and data that the control tower in Sulu might have in their possession, we are also going to look for the black box or the flight data recorder which we are fortunate that this C-130 has,” he said.
“We already cordoned the area to ensure the integrity of the pieces of evidence and other materials, all objects that could help us determine what transpired exactly in this particular tragic incident,” said Arevalo.
Arevalo said the aircraft is good condition and has about 11,000 flying hours left prior to maintenance.
“The aircraft is in tip-top shape. It’s not brand new but it’s in a very good condition… There is no truth to the rumor that this aircraft is defective.. the pilots are all rated, seasoned and experienced in flying these aircraft,” he said.
Arevalo, citing initial information, said the aircraft followed protocols on the approach speed or landing speed. Also, protocols were also observed at the landing area, said Arevalo.
“But what is yet to be determined is what caused the aircraft, why it went out of runway, this is going to be determined by a select group of tested pilots who will be the one to assist in the conduct of the investigation,” said Arevalo.
Arevalo appealed to the public to stop making speculations about the incident, saying it is not helping in the conduct of the investigation.
There was no sign the plane was brought down by insurgent fire, officials said.
“We solicit the understanding of our kababayans (countrymen) and of course especially those people who have the habit of distributing information that are unverified, please cease from doing it because it does not help at all. It even complicate the situation,” he said.
Arevalo declined to answer questions on whether the aircraft was overloaded.
He assured the public that the investigation will be transparent. He said the military wants to complete the probe at the soonest time possible but probers have be deliberate and accurate.
Pending the probe, Arevalo said the military has ordered the grounding of the lone, operational C-130. He said the Air Force has two other C-130s but these are undergoing repair in Portugal.
Arevalo said the incident will somehow affect the operational capability of the military but warned the Abu Sayyaf the military will remain aggressive in the fight against the terrorist group.
Arevalo also said the military may tap priests, ministers, doctors to look into the condition of the families of the deceased soldiers.
As to the wounded soldiers, Arevalo said they are being treated in military hospitals in Jolo and Zamboanga City and in civilian hospitals in Zamboanga City.
Arevalo said the military has placed on standby aircraft in case the wounded needed to be brought to Metro Manila for higher level of treatment or attention. He said the Philippine Airlines and Air Asia have offered to help in the air evacuation of the wounded.
The Lockheed aircraft had only recently arrived in the Philippines and was one of two provided by the US government through the Defense Security Cooperation Agency, a government website said in January.
The website C-130.net said the plane that crashed had first flown in 1988. The model is a workhorse for armed forces around the world.
A Philippines Air Force C-130 crash in 1993 killed 30 people. A 2008 crash of the civilian variant of the Lockheed plane flown by the Philippines Air Force killed 11 people, the Aviation Safety Network says.
The country’s worst plane crash was that of an Air Philippines Boeing 737 in 2000, which killed 131 people. — With Jocelyn Montemayor, Ashzel Hachero and Reuters
