2 PAF men survive crash

MANILA, Philippines – Two Philippine Air Force (PAF) pilots survived after the helicopter they were flying for training crash-landed at Basa Air Base in Floridablanca, Pampanga before noon yesterday.

PAF chief Lt. Gen. Pedrito Cadungog identified the two pilots as Captains Florante Baterina and Alexander Andrew Dimapilis.

The two have been grounded while an investigation is being conducted on the air mishap that occurred at about 11:30 a.m.

Cadungog said the two were undergoing a high-risk pilot qualifying course with Baterina acting as instructor pilot and Dimapilis as student.

“They were conducting a simulated forced landing exercise when they miscalculated their altitude with the tail rotor of the chopper hitting the ground,” he said.

As standard operating procedure, Cadungog said he ordered the grounding of the two pilots based on the initial findings of airmen investigators headed by Col. Manuel Morales, that the accident was due to human error.

According to Cadungog, the helicopter was a newly commissioned aircraft.   – Jaime Laude