Probers find black box of ill-fated military plane

SULU. In this photo released by the Joint Task Force - Sulu, parts of a Lockheed C-130 Hercules plane are seen at the crash site in Patikul town, Sulu. (JTF Sulu via AP)
SULU. In this photo released by the Joint Task Force - Sulu, parts of a Lockheed C-130 Hercules plane are seen at the crash site in Patikul town, Sulu. (JTF Sulu via AP)

INVESTIGATORS have recovered the black box of the ill-fated C-130 plane that crashed in Patikul, Sulu, killing 49 soldiers and three civilians, Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Chief of Staff Cirilito Sobejana said on Tuesday, July 6, 2021.

Sobejana said this would allow investigators to determine what happened moments before the plane went down at 11:30 a.m. Sunday, July 5.

He said investigators have also gathered statements from witnesses on the ground as well as from several soldiers who were onboard the aircraft.

“There are different versions ng mga account ng mga witnesses. I spoke with the passengers, ‘yung nag-survive na nasa pagamutan ng ating military hospital sa Zamboanga at ang sabi niya nag-bounce daw three times ‘yung eroplano, after the third bounce parang nagsi-zigzag s’ya then lumipad sila muli pero I think hindi naka-regain back ng power, so na-short at sumabit ‘yung pakpak sa puno ng kahoy, nag bank to the right at tuluyan nang bumagsak,” Sobejana said during a television interview.

“’Yung iba naman nagsasabi na isang landing gear lang daw ‘yung nakita pero baka from the line of sight lang siguro niya but anyway, all these things will be (looked into),” he added

Sobejana said he instructed the investigating team “to do it fast” without compromising the quality of their investigation.

He also said the United States is expected to take part in the investigation as the ill-fated aircraft, which was around 20 years old, was acquired from the US. It arrived in the country only last January 29, 2021.

In a radio interview, Sobejana vouched for the capabilities of the pilots in charge of the ill-fated plane.

“Mga piloto po natin mga beterano po yun, halos araw-araw lumilipad, matataas ‘yung flying hours ng ating mga piloto lalo na si Major Makalintal po ay more than 3,000 hours na ‘yung kanyang flying hours sa paglipad ng C130,” he said.

The death toll from the crash increased to 52 after two soldiers succumbed to their injuries. Undergoing treatment are 47 other soldiers, several of whom are in critical condition, Sobejana said.

He identified two of the fatalities as Lieutenant Sheena Alexandrea Tato, a nurse who was part of the AFP’s medical force, and Major Emmanuel Makalintal, one of the pilots.

Burn specialists have arrived in Zamboanga to assist in the identification of the bodies as most were charred beyond recognition.

As of Tuesday, seven have been identified and turned over to their bereaved families.

The AFP has three other C-130 aircraft. Two are undergoing repairs while the third is operational but was grounded following Sunday’s incident. (SunStar Philippines)

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