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Wednesday, August 27, 2008
C-130 wreck found deep under water
DAVAO (Updated, 1 p.m.) -- A military transport plane that crashed after takeoff in the southern Philippines with nine people aboard sank up to 1,000 feet (300 meters) under water, too deep for divers to reach, air force officials said Wednesday.
Navy Capt. Rosauro Gonzales said the wreckage of the C-130 was located about 2.5 nautical miles (4.6 kilometers) southwest of Samal island, a short distance from Davao International Airport, from where the plane took off Monday evening.
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Fishermen found body parts, a torn uniform, combat boots and other debris Tuesday.
Gonzales said search teams used fish-finding sonar to locate the sunken fuselage, but that it was too deep for divers to reach.
The wreckage sank between 600-1,000 feet (180-300 meters) and divers were looking for a way to retrieve bodies and evidence that could indicate the cause of the crash, said air force Col. Roy Deveraturda. He flew aboard a helicopter over the crash scene, which teemed with navy and coast guard vessels.
The C-130 had been airborne for five minutes when it last contacted the airport tower to inform controllers it was turning left toward central Iloilo province. The pilot did not report any problem, the air force said.
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After that, the tower lost contact with the plane, it said.
A radio dzBB report said an underwater camera found no trace of the nine crew, which included two pilots.
Air force chief Lt. Gen. Pedrito Cadungog would not speculate on the cause of the crash, which came amid an ongoing military offensive against Muslim rebels in three nearby southern provinces.
The insurgents are blamed for killing dozens of civilians and pillaging communities in the region last week.
Cadungog - who met with some of the families of the C-130 crew in central Cebu province Wednesday - said the rebels were not believed to have weapons capable of bringing down a plane flying above a couple of thousand feet (meters), but that sabotage was "always a possibility."
An Air Force team began investigating the crash and would consider all angles, including sabotage. Witnesses who claimed to have heard an explosion before it slammed into the sea will be interviewed, Deveraturda said.
"We're looking into that at the moment but we haven't found any sign of (sabotage)," Deveraturda said.
Davao police investigator Joel Parojinog said residents from a coastal village reported seeing a plane around 9 p.m. Monday "going down into the sea with flames on one of the wings," followed by an underwater explosion.
The US-made C-130, built in 1971 and acquired by the Air Force at a cost of P50 million (US$1.09 million), is one of only two operated by the Philippine military. The other aircraft was grounded for inspection and military officials acknowledged the loss would have an impact on combat operations.(AP)For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Pangasinan. (August 27, 2008 issue)
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