Ronron
April 29, 2007
Investigators from the Philippine Air Force (PAF) are trying to ascertain if indeed kites got in the way of the fallen military chopper on Saturday afternoon in Cebu province that claimed the lives of nine people.
PAF chief Lt. Gen. Horacio Tolentino said nylon threads were found entangled at the rotor system of the UH-1H or “Huey” helicopter (tail number 6225) that crashed at around 5:55 pm last Saturday in the middle of the road in Barangay Humay-humay, Lapu-lapu City in Mactan Island, Cebu.
“There were nylon threads on the rotor system, which could have caused the accident. Although, it is not yet conclusive since the investigation is still on going,” Tolentino said in a phone interview.
But if it is found to be not the main cause, Tolentino said the nylon threads could be “contributory” to the accident.
The PAF chief personally went to Cebu on Sunday to look into the accident and personally condole with the families of the killed victims.
He said witnesses claimed that there were kites being flown at the place when the accident happened.
Witnesses further said that when the chopper, piloted by Captain Allan Villagarcia, was descending, its rotor blades were slowly stopping from rotating.
“If it was in full rotation when it went down, the blades should have been disintegrated, and there should have been some things near the ground that would be destroyed by it. But the rotor was still in its original form and there were no signs of damages on the things near the ground. Therefore, it could mean that the rotor stopped rotating when it went down,” Tolentino explained.
He hinted a human error could be a very remote cause of the crash, saying he vouches for Villagarcia’s capability.
“I can tell initially that there is no human error,” Tolentino said.
As to engine trouble, he said he is reserving his comment since the engine has yet to be examined. He said the engine will be brought to Manila for said purpose.
Pending the investigation as to the official cause of the accident, Tolentino ordered yesterday the grounding of all remaining 41 UH-1H choppers in the PAF inventory.
“Maybe, it will only last for two to three days since we could already have initial findings within said period whether or not the nature of the cause of the accident is mechanical,” Tolentino said.
Of all 42 Hueys of the PAF, Tolentino said 35 are operational at any one time since the rest undergo “scheduled maintenance.”
The PAF Hueys are being used for airlift operations of the military, particularly for troop insertions in combat operations, medical evacuations, and in search and rescue operations, among others.
The latest ill-fated chopper was being used at that time for Pilot Qualification Course training of 1Lt. Jesus Embat, the co-pilot of Villagarcia. They were accompanied in the flight by crew members SSgt. Michael Gavino and Sgt. Johnny Reyes.
Gavino died during the crash, along with seven passengers of two tricycles where the chopper plunged into. Embat died later at around 8:50 pm while undergoing treatment at a private hospital.
Villagarcia and Reyes, meanwhile, are being treated at the Mactan Doctor’s Hospital.
Aside from expressing his deepest sympathy, Tolentino promised the families of the victims of the accident of whatever help, including financial, the PAF can extend./DMS
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