Wreckage of Navy helicopter retrieved

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines – The wreckage of a Navy Bolkow PNH411 helicopter that crashed near an island off this city has been retrieved but the fate of its two pilots remain unknown, authorities said.

Rear Admiral Alexander Pama, chief of Naval Forces Western Mindanao, said the bodies of the two Navy pilots have not been located, giving hopes that they could still be alive.

“The (bodies of the) two pilots were not in the helicopter. We assume they were able to get out of the aircraft,” Pama said, adding that the search and rescue operation for Lieutenants Tristan Joseph Corpuz and Gerald Tamayo was ongoing. 

Pama said Navy divers found the aircraft resting on the seabed some 50 to 60 feet near Sta. Cruz Island, and re-floated it after more than 24 hours.

“The divers saw basically the (helicopter) was intact and its doors were open with the pilots’ seatbelt unbuckled which is indicative (that the pilots were able to get out). They might have drifted to nearby islands,” he said. 

He appealed to fishermen and coastal villagers to help in the search for the two pilots.

Three other crewmembers of the Bolkow helicopter managed to bail out.

The aircraft was on a joint training exercise with US forces when it crashed.