Air Force chopper crash lands in Cebu, one wounded

By Ronron
May 22, 2007

Another Philippine Air Force (PAF) chopper crash-landed on Tuesday afternoon in Cebu province where a similar kind of chopper also crashed less than a month ago, killing nine people.

Lt. Col. Epifanio Panzo, Jr., PAF spokesman, said a UH-1H chopper made an emergency landing at around 3:15 pm yesterday at a rice field in Liloan town for still unclear reasons.

Police said the rice field was particularly located at Sitio Cabancalan, Barangay Jubay.

Panzo said the chopper was carrying two pilots and two crew members, and was on a training flight. None of the four was hurt, Panzo said.

But the Liloan Municipal Police said two other civilians were aboard the chopper – an unidentified adult female and an unidentified boy. The police said the female sustained fractures.

Responding policemen failed to get the identities of the two civilians since all six were immediately taken by another chopper to an undisclosed location, but probably at the PAF base on Mactan Island.

“We will wait for the result of the investigation,” Panzo said when asked about the cause of the emergency landing.

Asked if it could be engine trouble, he said: “Initially, there is no indication of that.”

Panzo said the helicopter belongs to the 205th Helicopter Wing, which is based in Mactan Island, located right across Liloan.

He said only the tail rotor of the chopper was damaged but it was minor in nature.

Asked if all remaining 40 Hueys will be grounded, Panzo said: “It will depend on the result of the investigation as to the cause of the emergency landing.”

Police said the ill-fated chopper remains stuck at the rice field as of press time.

Last April 28, a Huey was downed in Lapu-lapu City on Mactan Island by a kite that got in its way. Authorities said the nylon cord of the kite got entangled with the rotor, causing it to stop rotating while still up on air.

The incident caused the death of the co-pilot, a crew member, and seven civilians aboard two tricycles where the chopper fell over./DMS