Three Japs, Filipino pilot survive chopper crash in Palawan

Chopper with 3 Jap crashes off Palawan, all safe
By Ronron
January 14, 2007

Manila - A chopper with three Japanese passengers and piloted by a Filipino crashed in the waters of Palawan on Sunday afternoon allegedly due to “mechanical failure,” Navy officials said.

Navy Capt. Alberto Araojo, commander of the Joint Task Force Malampaya, (09178660703) said in a phone interview yesterday that the foreigners and the pilot were all safe and were not even hurt.

“Its descent must not have been abrupt… There was no explosion,” Araojo said of the ill-fated helicopter in a phone interview.

“They jumped out upon touching the water except the pilot who tried very hard to control the aircraft. He got out of the aircraft a few meters below the surface,” he added.

Araojo said the Eurocopter Company chopper crashed at 12:53 pm yesterday near Cauayan Island, located north of El Nido town or 15 nautical miles from the mainland of Palawan.

He said it plunged 30 meters deep into the sea, fronting the Lamuro Hotel in Barangay Villa Libertad, El Nido.

Araojo identified the pilot as a certain Butch Soriano, whom Lt. James Ramon, Jr., spokesman of the Naval Forces West, said is a police Inspector with the Philippine National Police (PNP).

Araojo said the chopper came from Manila, and picked up the Japanese nationals from the headquarters of TF Malampaya in Barangay Villa Libertad for yesterday’s aerial survey and video taking of the nearby islands for future business projects and local tourism promotion.

Araojo said one of the three Japanese was reportedly a cameraman from a Japan-based media outlet, while the two others are businessmen.

All three refused to be identified for the media.

Araojo said they were first rescued by a yacht allegedly owned by a Japanese from the island, followed by elements of the Navy SWAG (Special Warfare Group). They were then brought to Lamuro Resort.

The rescue operations did not take more than 30 minutes.

Araojo described yesterday’s weather condition in Palawan to be “very fair,” although the place of the accident occasionally experiences turbulent winds in the air in the afternoon because of the mountains near the island./DMS