Pilot of F-5 jet to get citation for gallantry

Thirty-three-year-old Capt. Daniel Teodoro Policarpio could’ve ejected safely when trouble began onboard his aging F-5A Freedom Fighter jet.

Instead, mindful of the safety of townspeople on the ground, he fought to keep control of his Vietnam War-era plane and steered away from populated areas.

And when he finally tried to bail out, it was too late.

His plane was flying so low, a number of witnesses said they saw what seemed to be a parachute and the pilot seemingly struggling in the cockpit. The F-5A even clipped the roofs of dozens of houses.

"We saw what looked like a parachute, as though the pilot was trying to bail out," municipal officer Jun Magbalot said.

Mabalacat residents told of hearing an explosion and seeing the plane breaking up before it plowed into the grounds of the Mabalacat Elementary School. Fortunately, a bigger tragedy was avoided because the school was empty for summer vacation.

Based on the testimonies of witnesses, Air Force chief Lt. Gen. Benjamin Defensor yesterday said it seemed that Policarpio had a chance to bail out but decided against it.

"With a speed and altitude apparently within the parameters of a good ejection, Captain Policarpio chose to maneuver the plane so that it would crash in a vacant school ground instead of ejecting to safety," Defensor said.

Although an investigation into the crash had just gone underway, Defensor said, "Captain Policarpio had opted to give his life to save others."

For that, the PAF will bestow on Policarpio – a member of the PAF’s elite Blue Diamond aerobatics team – a citation for gallantry. His body was flown from Floridablanca, Pampanga, to Villamor Air Base in Pasat City, the headquarters of Policarpio’s elite unit, the 5th Fighter Wing.

To prevent future air accidents, Mabalacat Mayor Marino Morales had urged the PAF to avoid flying over his town for the duration of the Balikatan joint war games between US and Philippine forces.

He also urged the PAF to immediately repair 10 classrooms at the Mabalacat Elementary School that were damaged by the crash because classes will open next month. He estimated that around P4 million will be needed to fix the schoolrooms.

Morales urged the municipal council to declare a state of calamity in Barangays Poblacion, Mama Titang and San Joaquin where over a hundred houses were damaged.

Trouble began at around 10:45 a.m. as the F-5A prepared to land at an airfield in Clark, the former US military base, after returning from training maneuvers with Philippine and US forces in Ternate, Cavite.

It was accompanied by another PAF F-5A and two US Navy F/A-18 Hornets. The three planes made it back safely.

Defensor had grounded the PAF’s fleet of 13 F-5As – all belonging to the 5th Fighter Wing – until their airworthiness is assured.

At least 16 people on the ground were injured, and dozens of houses were damaged.

The last time an F-5A crashed was in 1997 when the plane smashed into a rice field while performing aerial acrobatics, killing the pilot and a farmer.

Last Friday, three Filipino airmen were injured when a PAF MG-520 helicopter gunship crashed after a support maneuver with US aircraft. – With Ric Sapnu, Ding Cervantes