Investigation team arrives at Agusan Sur helicopter crash site
SAN FRANCISCO, Agusan del Sur (MindaNews / 5 Nov) — Investigation and retrieval operations are now underway in Loreto town following the crash of a Philippine Air Force (PAF) Super Huey helicopter on Tuesday.
A report from provincial government-run PTV 8 Agusan del Sur said the Scene of the Crime Operatives (SOCO) and Air Force investigators arrived at the crash site early Wednesday to conduct an on-site examination and determine the cause of the incident. The team will focus on technical and operational factors that may have led to the fatal crash.
The Eastern Mindanao Command (EastMinCom) earlier confirmed that the helicopter went down in Barangay Sabud, Loreto, while en route to Tactical Operations Group 10 in Butuan City. The aircraft was part of a four-helicopter formation — two Black Hawks, a Bell chopper, and the Super Huey — deployed from Davao City to carry out a Rapid Damage Assessment and Needs Analysis (RDANA) mission following Typhoon Tino (international name: Kalmaegi).
Troops from the 60th Infantry Battalion under the 1001st Infantry Brigade of the 10th Infantry Division secured the area to ensure the safety of the site and assist in recovery efforts. Six bodies believed to be those of the pilot and crew members have been retrieved.
A resident and local vlogger, Delmar Jay-ar Bantuasan II, captured footage of the wreckage, showing burnt debris and personal belongings scattered near the crash site.
Bantuasan said the three other aircraft circled the crash site but did not land due to the absence of a safe open area. He and his sister reached the wreckage about two hours after the crash.
The Super Huey helicopter was reportedly on a Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Response (HADR) mission to deliver aid to communities affected by Typhoon Tino in Northern Mindanao and the Caraga region.
The identities of the six fallen PAF personnel remain withheld pending the results of forensic examination, according to Col. Ma. Cristina Basco, PAF spokesperson.
She told anchor Jay Solis on the provincial government-run radio program Abante Agusan over DXGP 89.7 FM that the families of the airmen have already been informed, but their names will not be released until the forensic verification is complete.
Basco added that the downed Super Huey was a refurbished helicopter acquired from the United States in 2011 and operated by two pilots and four crew members of the PAF’s Search and Rescue Group, the unit tasked as first responder in calamity relief mission. (Chris V. Panganiban / MindaNews)
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