2021 Philippine Air Force C-130 crash

Coordinates: 06°03′09″N 121°01′39″E / 6.05250°N 121.02750°E / 6.05250; 121.02750
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2021 Philippine Air Force C-130 crash
5125, the C-130H of the Philippine Air Force involved in the crash, photographed in March 2021
Accident
DateJuly 4, 2021 (2021-07-04)
SummaryFailed go-around attempt, resulting in loss of control; under investigation
SitePatikul, near Jolo Airport, Sulu, Philippines
06°03′09″N 121°01′39″E / 6.05250°N 121.02750°E / 6.05250; 121.02750
Aircraft
Aircraft typeLockheed C-130H Hercules
Operator Philippine Air Force
Registration5125
Flight originVillamor Air Base, Pasay, Philippines
StopoverLumbia Airfield, Cagayan de Oro, Philippines
DestinationJolo Airport, Sulu, Philippines
Occupants104
Passengers96
Crew8
Fatalities49
Injuries47
Survivors55
Ground casualties
Ground fatalities3
Ground injuries4

On July 4, 2021, a Lockheed C-130 Hercules aircraft of the Philippine Air Force (PAF) crashed after an attempted landing at Jolo Airport in Sulu, Philippines.[1] With 52 deaths, of which 49 people were on the aircraft and 3 on the ground, the incident is one of the deadliest aviation accidents in Philippine military history and the third deadliest in the Philippines overall, behind Air Philippines Flight 541 in 2000 and Cebu Pacific Flight 387 in 1998.

Background

Aircraft

The aircraft involved in the incident is a Lockheed C-130H Hercules operated by the Philippine Air Force (PAF) with the tail number 5125.[2] A former United States Air Force aircraft in service since February 1988, it was acquired by the PAF through a grant by the United States government's Defense Security Cooperation Agency in January 2021.[3][4] The Philippine military has maintained that the aircraft was in good condition and had 11,000 flying hours left before its next maintenance was due.[5] The PAF has three other C-130s in its inventory prior to the crash; two C-130s undergoing maintenance and repair in Portugal and one C-130 operational.[6]

Passengers and crew

Lockheed C-130H Hercules 5125 at Joint Base Pearl Harbor–Hickam in January 2021

At the time of the crash, there were 104 military personnel on board; including 3 pilots and 5 aircrew.[7] 50 of the personnel came from the Philippine Army's 4th Infantry Division training unit of Malaybalay, Bukidnon.[8] Five military vehicles were also on board.[9] The soldiers on board were meant to augment the Jolo-based 11th Infantry Division which is after the Abu Sayyaf group operating in the area.[10][11]

Accident

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Crash site
Crash site
Lumbia Airfield

On July 4, 2021, the aircraft took off from Villamor Air Base in Pasay and headed to Lumbia Airfield in Cagayan de Oro. From Cagayan de Oro, the aircraft transported personnel to Jolo, Sulu.[12] At 11:30 a.m. (UTC+8), the plane crashed after attempting to land at Jolo Airport.[1][13][14] The aircraft overshot the runway, crashed in the nearby municipality of Patikul, and caught fire.[15][16]

49 occupants on board and 3 civilians on the ground died, while 47 occupants on board and 4 civilians on the ground were injured.[17] The 3 civilian deaths involved quarry workers.[18] The crash is the Philippine Air Force's deadliest aviation accident in history, surpassing the 1971 Douglas C-47 Skytrain crash in Floridablanca, Pampanga which killed 40 people.[19][20]

Response

The Joint Task Force Sulu (JTF Sulu) of the Philippine military conducted a search and rescue to retrieve bodies of those who died as well as extend assistance to survivors.[21] The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), the Philippine National Police's Police Regional Office Bangsamoro Autonomous Region (PRO BAR), and the Sulu provincial government has promised they would provide assistance to the military and affected civilians on the ground in regards to the incident.[12][22] The United States Embassy in Manila also pledged medical support to the survivors of the crash.[23]

On July 5, 2021, President Rodrigo Duterte went to the Western Mindanao Command of the AFP in Zamboanga City to pay his respects to the families of the military personnel who were killed in the crash.[24] The AFP also declared a 6-day mourning period ordering all flags in camps and military installation across the country to be flown at half-mast.[7] Several countries sent condolences to the Philippines following the crash.[25]

The modernization program has also been a subject of discussion in the Philippine Congress; both in the House of Representatives and the Senate. The policy of acquiring second hand military assets through foreign loans has also been questioned.[6]

The crash has also been caught in film. A 1:47-minute long video of the crash has circulated in social media.[26]

Investigation

The Department of National Defense and the military has urged the public to refrain from spreading "highly speculative statements" about the incident and assured that an investigation on the crash is already being done.[27][28]

The military has ruled out the possibility that the crash was caused by an attack against the aircraft.[29] Among the angles being considered are the condition of the aircraft, the runway, if there was a human error, and if the plane was overloaded.[27] An investigating team from the AFP arrived at the crash site on July 5.[30] The aircraft's flight recorder was retrieved by the following day which would be used to better determine the circumstances of the crash.[31][32]

References

  1. ^ a b Nepomuceno, Priam (July 4, 2021). "C-130 crashes in Patikul, Sulu". Philippine News Agency.
  2. ^ "Philippine Air Force C-130H plane crashes in Sulu – Manila Bulletin". Manila Bulletin. July 4, 2021. Retrieved July 4, 2021.
  3. ^ Pulta, Benjamin (July 5, 2021). "Sulu plane crash underscores need to modernize military". Philippine News Agency. Retrieved July 5, 2021.
  4. ^ Nepomuceno, Priam (January 30, 2021). "Air Force gets C-130H aircraft from US". Philippine News Agency. Retrieved July 4, 2021.
  5. ^ Cabico, Gaea Katreena (July 5, 2021). "AFP: C-130 in Sulu crash not brand new but in 'tip-top' shape". The Philippine Star. Retrieved July 5, 2021.
  6. ^ a b Punongbayan, Michael; Felipe, Cecille Suerte; Lee-Brago, Pia; Porcalla, Delon; Romero, Paolo; Pareño, Roel; Unson, John; Jaymalin, Mayen; Villanueva, Rhodina; Regalado, Edith (July 5, 2021). "'C-130 in tip-top shape'". The Philippine Star. Retrieved July 5, 2021.
  7. ^ a b Acosta, Rene; de la Cruz, Jovee Marie (July 5, 2021). "6-day period of mourning as C-130 crash fatalities rise to 52". BusinessMirror. The Department of the National Defense (DND) and AFP both said that the ill-fated aircraft has 96 military personnel in its flight manifest, excluding the three pilots and five aircrew.
  8. ^ "Most victims in Sulu plane crash new soldiers from 4th Infantry Division". Rappler. July 4, 2021. Retrieved July 4, 2021.
  9. ^ Dancel, Raul (July 4, 2021). "'It missed the runway': At least 45 killed in military plane crash in southern Philippines". The Straits Times. Retrieved July 5, 2021.
  10. ^ "Soldiers in plane crash meant to reinforce Sulu troops vs Abu Sayyaf". The Philippine Star. July 5, 2021. Retrieved July 5, 2021.
  11. ^ "Crash of a Douglas C-47A-20-DK at Basa AFB: 40 killed". Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives. Retrieved July 5, 2021.
  12. ^ a b "Death toll rises in C-130 plane crash in Sulu, several still missing". ABS-CBN News. July 4, 2021. Retrieved July 4, 2021.
  13. ^ "Philippines military plane crashes with 92 on board". BBC News. BBC. July 4, 2021. Retrieved July 4, 2021.
  14. ^ Cabrera, Ferdinandh (July 4, 2021). "Philippine Air Force C-130 plane crashes in Sulu". GMA News. Retrieved July 4, 2021.
  15. ^ Cabrera, Ferdinandh (July 4, 2021). "C-130 plane crashes near Jolo; at least 85 on board". MindaNews. Retrieved July 4, 2021.
  16. ^ "17 dead, 40 injured after Philippine Air Force plane crashes in Sulu". CNN Philippines. July 4, 2021. Retrieved July 4, 2021.
  17. ^ "Philippines' plane crash kills 47, injures 49; probe ordered". Reuters. July 4, 2021. Retrieved July 5, 2021.
  18. ^ "'We are in rescue mode': Dozens dead after Philippines' worst military air disaster in nearly 30 years". SBS News. July 4, 2021. Retrieved July 4, 2021.
  19. ^ "In Pictures: Philippine military's worst air disaster kills 50". Al Jazeera. July 5, 2021. Retrieved July 5, 2021.
  20. ^ Punzalan, Jamaine (July 5, 2021). "'Worst crash of military aircraft:' Philippines mourns dozens killed in Sulu plane crash". ABS-CBN News. Retrieved July 5, 2021.
  21. ^ "Philippine military transport crashes, killing dozens". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved July 5, 2021.
  22. ^ Carreon, Frencie (July 5, 2021). "Kin of soldiers who died in Sulu crash to get gov't help". MindaNews. Retrieved July 5, 2021.
  23. ^ Marquez, Consuelo (July 4, 2021). "US Embassy readies medical aid for survivors of Sulu plane crash". GMA News. Retrieved July 4, 2021.
  24. ^ News, ABS-CBN (July 5, 2021). "Duterte honors soldiers killed in plane crash, promises aid". ABS-CBN News. Retrieved July 5, 2021. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  25. ^ Ramos, Christia Marie (July 5, 2021). "More countries 'deeply saddened' by deadly Sulu plane crash". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved July 5, 2021.
  26. ^ Sadongdong, Martin (July 5, 2021). "Caught on cam: Video shows horrifying PAF C-130 cargo plane crash in Sulu – Manila Bulletin". Manila Bulletin. Retrieved July 5, 2021.
  27. ^ a b Sadongdong, Martin (July 5, 2021). "Lorenzana slams 'baseless' allegations on tragic Sulu crash – Manila Bulletin". Manila Bulletin. Retrieved July 5, 2021.
  28. ^ Raul Dancel (July 5, 2021). "Philippines starts probe into deadly military plane crash, as death toll climbs to 52". The Straits Times. Singapore Press Holdings. Retrieved July 5, 2021.
  29. ^ "Military rules out attack on cargo plane in Sulu crash". GMA News. July 4, 2021. Retrieved July 4, 2021.
  30. ^ Reyes, Dempsey (July 5, 2021). "Probe of C-130 crash begins". The Manila Times. Retrieved July 5, 2021.
  31. ^ "PH military searches for crashed C-130's flight data recorder". ABS-CBN News. July 5, 2021. Retrieved July 5, 2021.
  32. ^ "Black box recovered from crash site of Philippines military plane". Al Jazeera. Reuters. July 6, 2021. Retrieved July 6, 2021.
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