The Philippine Air Force (PAF) identified on Tuesday night, April 27, three of the four victims aboard a military chopper that crash landed into the sea in Getafe, Bohol while on a maintenance flight.
PAF spokesperson Lt. Col. Maynard Mariano said the lone fatality was Capt. Aurelius Olano, pilot-in-command of the crashed McDonnel Douglas 520-MG "Defender" No. 410 attack helicopter. He was a resident of Candijay, Bohol.
Meanwhile, the two maintenance crew members were Airmen 1st Class (A1C) Rex Anapio and Bonn Arasola.
The identity of the co-pilot, a 27-year-old woman with a rank of 1st Lieutenant, was withheld by Mariano pending notification of her parents who have both medical condition.
However, Mariano assured that all the survivors were already in a stable condition at Garcia Memorial Provincial Hospital in Talibon, Bohol.
PAF commanding general Lt. Gen. Allen Paredes flew to Mactan, Cebu to check on the arrangements being made for Olano who will be given full military honors by the PAF for making "the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty."
Paredes and other senior officials of the PAF will pay their respects to the fallen airman.
"The PAF extends its deepest sympathies to the bereaved family, relatives, and friends ," Mariano said.
Paredes also checked on the condition of the survivors of the air mishap, and held a dialogoue with the pilots and crew of the Mactan Air Base in Lapu-Lapu City "to shore up their morale and emphasize the importance of safety."
Mariano assured that the families of the deceased pilot and three survivors will be given financial assistance following the accident.
As of writing, the PAF has yet to determine the cause of the chopper crash.
The chopper, which came from the Mactan Air Base, was on a maintenance flight when it crash landed into the vicinity waters of Barangay Taytay around 9:30 a.m. Tuesday after encountering a "mechanical trouble," according to the Bohol provincial police office.