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PAF to expedite jet fighter crash probe

Philippine News Agency

By Priam Nepomuceno
March 6, 2025, 12:06 pm

MANILA -- The Philippine Air Force (PAF) announced that it will expedite the investigation regarding the crashed FA-50PH so that the order grounding the entire jet fighter fleet can be lifted and the aircraft returned to its external defense missions.

"We ensure (the public of an) expedited investigation (regarding the incident), the sooner we get the fleet out of grounded status, the better because (of their) mandate of ensuring our (external defense)," Air Force spokesperson Col. Ma. Consuelo Castillo said in an interview Wednesday.

She said the FA-50PHs are an important asset of the military, hence the need to immediately return it to flying status.

"We really need our FA-50s to be there in case we need to face challenges in our territorial waters and exclusive economic zone areas," Castillo said.

Aside from external defense missions, the PAF's FA-50PH fleet can also be tapped for internal defense operations.

"Our intention is to have that investigation done thoroughly but swift enough for us not to sacrifice our operational readiness to perform (our) mandate," Castillo said.

The PAF on March 5 immediately grounded all 11 remaining FA-50PH jet fighters in its inventory following the discovery of the wreckage of the missing aircraft in the vicinity of Mount Kalatungan Complex in Bukidnon.

The crashed FA-50PH, with tail number 002, was reported missing March 4 as it was about to take part in a "tactical night" operation in the Eastern Mindanao Command. This aircraft, along with other members of its flight, took off from Benito N. Ebuen Air Base in Mactan, Cebu.

The PAF is still to release to the media the exact cause of the mishap which is the first since the FA-50PHs were acquired from South Korea from 2015 to 2017.

Twelve FA-50PHs were acquired from Korea Aerospace Industries for PHP18.9 billion.

"We cannot conclusively say anything about the cause of the accident. This will have to undergo thorough investigation. There could be various reasons why this happened. And hopefully through (our) investigations, we will know the real reason," Castillo said. (PNA)