The fatal crash of a Philippine Air Force (PAF) FA-50 fighter jet in Bukidnon resulted in an unintentional consequence – the grounding of the entire FA-50 fleet, which could affect the military’s patrol operation in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).
PAF spokesperson Col. Ma Consuelo Castillo said the Air Force intends to complete “as soon as possible” the investigation on the crash of an FA-50 aircraft with tail number “002” in Mt. Kalatungan mountain range, Brgy. Mirayun, Talakag, Bukidnon.
The wreckage of the aircraft was found on Wednesday, March 5, along with the remains of the two pilots onboard.
“Definitely, this has a big impact on our operation when we are left without our fighter aircraft,” Castillo said.
Accordingly, the FA-50 fighter jet was with other PAF aircraft on tactical night operations to provide air support for ground troops of 403rd Infantry Brigade, 4th Infantry Division chasing New People’s Army (NPA) rebels in Cabanglasan, Bukidnon when it crashed “several minutes before reaching the target area of operation” on Tuesday midnight.
The aircraft's tail and wings burst, and the trees in the area were felled because of the impact of the crash.
Following the incident, the PAF barred the remaining 11 units of its FA-50 fleet from flying pending the results of the investigation as to the cause of the crash.
“Our intention is to have the investigation done thoroughly but swift enough for us not to sacrifice our operational readiness to perform our mandate,” Castillo said.
"The time frame [of investigation]... it depends but the commitment of the Philippine Air Force is to ensure that we get the FA-50 back to flying status because we need to have it flying to guard our territorial waters," she added.
The FA-50s are also used in military exercises such as the upcoming Balikatan exercise in April. In July last year, the PAF sent a similar aircraft to Australia for the Pitch Black Exercise.
"We need to balance everything because we also have to consider the safety of our pilots," she stated.
Korean safety officers joining probe
Castillo said investigators from South Korean manufacturer Aerospace Industries Ltd. will join the PAF’s probe to determine what caused the crash.
The Aerospace Industries Ltd. supplied 12 units of FA50 aircraft to the PAF for P18.9 billion from 2015 to 2017 as part of the military's modernization program.
“There will be safety officers who will go to the area where the crash happened. They will look at the wreckage to investigate all aspects of the incident. They will look at our aircraft records, maintenance records, the profile of the pilots, as well as the prevailing weather during that time,” she said.
“We need to consider a lot of factors. Was it because of the material factor? Possible human error? Third is weather, and then the procedures that were observed, because there are specific procedures when you are night flying. It’s inherently risky,” she noted.
Castillo said the altitude and speed of the flight, as well as the weather condition were "normal" and "usual".
"There were no abnormal indications just before they lost contact with [the FA50]," she bared.
The PAF spokesperson said investigators would also try to retrieve the black box of the crashed aircraft, as it is expected to provide flight details that could shed light on the incident.
Initially, Castillo disclosed that the crew of the FA50 jet did not send a distress signal even before they lost contact with the lead aircraft of the mission.
Nonetheless, the PAF official said the military will continue to patrol the WPS using its other aircraft, particularly the sub-sonic SIAI Marchetti S-211 jet trainers.
"The S-211's primary use is for training but we also use it in maritime patrol," Castillo said.
Replacement aircraft
The PAF said it has also requested the Department of National Defense (DND) to complete its proposal to procure another 12 units of FA-50 aircraft from South Korea even before the accident happened.
"There are recommendations to get another batch of 12 aircraft to be able to complete one squadron of FA50 under Re-horizon 3," Castillo said, explaining that a full squadron is consisted of 24 aircraft.