The front landing gear tire of a military cargo plane transporting relief goods to Batanes was detached after landing at the Basco airport on Friday, Nov. 1, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (PAF) said.
Fortunately, the incident did not inflict any injury to the pilots and the military personnel on board the medium size military cargo plane C295, AFP spokesperson Col. Francel Margareth Padilla.
“A C295 aircraft transporting family food packs for the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) experienced a detached nose landing gear tire during its landing at Basco, Batanes Airport. The aircraft, which departed Manila earlier, that day completed its flight to Basco with no injuries reported among the pilots or crew,” said Padilla in a statement.
“The aircraft is currently secured on the active runway as the situation is assessed,” she added.
The incident happened at around 3 p.m. on Friday while the C295 was transporting food packs and other essential goods for residents of Batanes which was hammered by super typhoon “Leon”.
Air Force spokesperson Col. Ma. Consuelo Castillo said an investigation is ongoing to determine the circumstances that led to the incident, adding that steps will be taken to ensure the safety and efficiency of future operations.
“Nothing is conclusive as to the cause of the incident,” said Castillo.
Both the AFP and the Philippine Air Force assured that they will continue delivering essential supplies to affected communities despite the incident.