A helicopter carrying four individuals and operated by a non-profit organization offering medical aviation services made an emergency landing at a banana plantation in Lantapan, Bukidnon on Thursday, July 27.
***(Photo courtesy of PAMAS)***
The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) said an R44 Raven helicopter of the Philippine Adventist Medical Aviation Services (PAMAS) with registry RP-C189 crash landed in Sitio Babahagon around 9:45 a.m.
All four individuals onboard the aircraft - two pilots and two passengers - were rescued.
"Fortunately, neither the pilot nor the passengers suffered major injuries. One passenger was sent to the hospital for further treatment but was not in critical condition. There were no other injuries," PAMAS said.
Accordingly, the helicopter was being flown by Jared Hoewing, a PAMAS pilot, when it began to lose power while they were about 3,000 feet up. The aircraft was flying near an airbase in Valencia City, Bukidnon en route to the Mountain View College (MVC).
This forced Hoewing to make an emergency landing at a banana field about five kilometers from the airbase.
CAAP Aircraft Accident Investigation and Inquiry Board (AAIIB) Chief Reineer Baculinao said the incident has already been investigated to determine the cause of the crash.