By CHRIS V. PANGANIBAN
SAN FRANCISCO, Agusan del Sur — The identities of the six fallen Philippine Air Force (PAF) personnel aboard the Super Huey helicopter that crashed Tuesday in Loreto town remain withheld pending the results of forensic examination, a PAF spokesperson said.
Col. Ma. Cristina Basco, PAF spokesperson, 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 said the cause of the crash is still under investigation, even as witnesses reported seeing the aircraft’s tail section already burning before it went down.
“Yes, we saw the chopper’s tail billowing with smoke as it tried to maneuver before it fell,” said Delmar Jay-ar Bantuasan II, barangay secretary of Sabud, Loreto, where the helicopter went down.
The ill-fated 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.
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.
A report from government-run PTV 8 Agusan del Sur said Scene-of-the-Crime Operatives (SOCO) and Air Force investigators arrived at the site early Wednesday to conduct an on-site examination to determine possible technical or operational causes.
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 the first responder in calamity relief missions.
“It is well-maintained and undergoes periodic maintenance,” Basco said, adding that two other Super Huey units have been grounded pending airworthiness checks.
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