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Friday, December 29, 2006
Assault helicopter crashes; woman-pilots escape death
By Bong Garcia
ZAMBOANGA CITY -- Two women pilots brush with death when an MG-520 rocket-firing helicopter of the Philippine Air Force (PAF) they were maneuvering crashed landed at the runway of the Zamboanga International Airport (ZIA) on Thursday in Zamboanga City.
The incident took place shortly after 8 a.m. while the helicopter, according to information gathered, was on maintenance flight.
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A government-run radio station in this city reported that one of the two pilots was hit in the head by the rotor blade when she returned to the ill-fated aircraft possibly to put off the helicopter's engine.
"Mahina na ang pag-ikot ng rotor blade (The rotor blade was already moving slowly) when she was hit in the head," the government-run radio station reported.
It was gathered that the helicopter's tail and ski were broken due to the impact when it crashed.
PAF personnel who arrived and cordoned the area immediately whisked the pilots away from the place of the incident.
They were identified as only as Capt. Patrimonio and Maj. Quintana.
Col. Reynaldo Ramirez, chief of the Air Force's 3rd Tactical Operations Wing, said over a local television that the cause of the incident was "pilot error."
Ramirez said the pilots were immediately discharged from Camp Navarro General Hospital since they only suffered bruises.
He revealed that the helicopter could no longer be used since the expenses needed to have it repaired are almost the same as buying a new one.
The incident caused the temporary closure of ZIA for more than one hour to pave the way for the retrieval operation of the damaged helicopter parts.
Local Air Transportation Manager Celso Bayabos said ZIA was declared close from 8:36 a.m. to 9:50 a.m. to all types of incoming and outgoing aircraft, causing the delay of commercial flights from and to this city.
Bayabos said the Cebu-Pacific and Southeast Airlines planes that have already taken off from Cebu and Jolo, respectively, en route to this city were ordered to return to their respective points of origin due to ZIA's closure.
He said the 9 a.m. flight of the Moscow-Philippines (MosPhil) Aero Inc. from this city to Tawi-Tawi was also delayed.
Two OV-10 Broncho Bomber planes of the Air Force that were scheduled to land in this city at the time of the airport closure were also sent back to its point of origin, according to Bayabos.
He said ZIA normal operations resumed when the runway was cleared. (Sunnex)
For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Davao. (December 29, 2006 issue)
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