17 September 2020
A Philippine Air Force (PAF) S-76A air ambulance helicopter crashed in the mountains of Lantawan, Basilan killing two pilots and two crews on board yesterday afternoon.
The helicopter belonging to the 505th Search and Rescue Group departed from Edwin Andrew Air Base (EAAB) at 12:33 p.m. was heading to Jolo, Sulu, for a medevac mission when it crashed in Upper Manggas, Lantawan.
Lantawan Municipal Administrator Tahira Ismael-Sansawi said the helicopter was trying to gain altitude and fly away from bad weather when it was caught in the middle and was suck downwards, in a weather phenomenon known as "downdraft".
"Nakita ko po hinihila siya pababa ng hanghin tapos bumagsak at sumabog," says the former Mayor of Lantawan.
The administrator said Lantawan is suffering bad weather and strong winds before the crash up to this time due to Habagat.
This S-76A Sikorsky helicopter was acquired by the PAF in 1983, and delivered to the Philippines in 1984 performing gunship air support roles before it was relegated to ambulance service in 2011.
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