MANILA, Philippines — The crash of a brand new Black Hawk helicopter of the Philippine Air Force (PAF) in Pampanga last week could have been caused by bad weather conditions, according to Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana.
“Still under investigation. Initial report, but unconfirmed is bad weather,” Lorenzana told The STAR yesterday when asked for an update about the June 23 helicopter crash that killed three pilots and three crewmembers.
Lorenzana said the incident is being investigated. He said only one body was recovered intact, although it was burned almost beyond recognition. The rest were body parts.
If the investigation shows that defects or problems with the helicopter caused the accident, Lorenzana said there is a warranty provision in the procurement agreement with the Polish company, Polskie Zaklady Lotnicze, that manufactured the aircraft.
The incident prompted Lorenzana and the PAF to temporarily ground the entire Black Hawk fleet pending results of the investigation.
The government bought 16 Black Hawk helicopters for a contract price of $241 million from the Polish company.
Of the figure, 11 have been delivered and five are expected to arrive in the coming months.