Wednesday, September 10, 2008 Retrieval of C-130 will cost a lot By Carlo P. Mallo
THE retrieval of the ill-fated Philippine Air Force's (PAF) C-130 Hercules Lockheed is still being studied by PAF because while it is necessary to inspect the 37-year-old plane to determine the cause of the crash, it will cost a lot to retrieve it from the 426-foot depth.
A memorial service for the nine PAF members and two Scout Rangers on board the aircraft was held Tuesday morning on board the Philippine Navy ship Benguet at the crash site area, some 1.3 nautical miles off the coast of Barangay Bucana, Davao City.
"We have to find out what caused the crash, we will be conducting scientific studies on the aircraft," PAF 11 Group Commander Isagani Silva told Sun.Star in an interview.
The PAF's C-130 Hercules Lockheed does not a have a black box, which could have recorded the incidents that transpired in the cockpit prior to the crash, thus the entire aircraft must have to be subjected to an investigation to determine the cause of the crash.
However, Silva said they are still taking into consideration the costs that retrieval operations may incur.
"For the salvage divers, they need to have tanks of helium, nitrogen, and oxygen," Silva said, adding: "And helium is quite expensive."
Recreational divers use a mix of nitrogen and oxygen, but oxygen becomes toxic in deep waters, and thus the third air mix -- helium -- for deep technical dives is required in inspecting the plane.
The C-130 aircraft is in an upright position at a depth of 426 feet below sea level, with the plane's fuselage (main body), wings, and tail intact, as shown by the sonar shots of the US Navy ship John MacDonnell. The tail of the plane appears to be a bit detached.
The US Navy ship was sent to help in the search operations upon request of the Philippine government to the US government as the equipment of the Philippine Navy and PAF have not yielded any conclusive evidence as to the location of the C-130's crash site after a week of search.
