SEARCH and rescue teams yesterday found the bodies of two pilots of the FA-50 fighter aircraft of the Philippine Air Force (PAF), which was reported missing on Tuesday while en route to Bukidnon.
Lt. Gen. Luis Rex Bergante, commander of the AFP Eastern Mindanao Command, said the bodies were found by Army Special Forces troops inside the jet in Mt. Kalatungan in Bukidnon before noon yesterday.
“They (pilots) were inside the aircraft … We’re bringing down their cadavers. As to the aircraft, we already cordoned it for investigation,” he also said.
Air Force spokesperson Col. Ma Consuelo Castillo said the fighter jet “hit the trees and timber in the area” and was “totally wrecked.”
“It was a crash, all the indications point to it, the wreckage, all indications point to it being a crash,” she also said.
Castillo said the Special Forces troops and civilian volunteers were deployed to locate the aircraft and its pilots using “signals from the aircraft’s emergency locator transmitter and locator beacons.”
“With deep regret and profound sadness, the PAF announces the loss of the two pilots aboard,” she also said.
The Police Community Affairs and Development Group (PCADG)-Northern Mindanao said the country “mourns the loss of two brave heroes who dedicated their lives to protecting the nation so others may sleep safely at night.”
It identified the two pilots as Maj. Jude Salang-oy and 1Lt. AJ Dadulla. It said Dadulla is set to be married in two weeks.
The crashed FA-50 fighter was among the aircraft that took off from the Benito Ebuen Air Base in Mactan, Cebu to provide close air support to Army soldiers involved in a firefight with New People’s Army rebels in Cabanglasan, Bukidnon. The crashed aircraft lost communication “minutes before reaching the target area”
The Army on Tuesday said two jets were involved in the mission. Castillo yesterday said “multiple” jets were sent to Bukidnon.
