MANILA, Philippines- Inanunsyo ng Philippine Air Force (PAF) na mamadaliin nito ang imbestigasyon sa bumagsak na FA-50PH upang makalos na ang kautusang nagga-ground sa buong jet fighter fleet can be lifted at makabalik na ang aircraft sa external defense missions nito.
“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),” pahayag ni Air Force spokesperson Col. Ma. Consuelo Castillo sa isang panayam nitong Miyerkules.
“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,” giit ni Castillo.
“Our intention is to have that investigation done thoroughly but swift enough for us not to sacrifice our operational readiness to perform (our) mandate,” dagdag ng opisyal.
Agad na ipinag-utos ng PAF noong March 5 ang pag-ground sa 11 natitirang FA-50PH jet fighters sa imbentaryo nito kasunod ng pagkakadiskubre sa wreckage ng nawawalang aircraft sa bisinidad ng Mount Kalatungan Complex sa Bukidnon.
Naiulat na nawawala ang bumagsak na FA-50PH, may tail number na 002, noong March 4 dahil makikibahagi sana ito sa “tactical night” operation sa Eastern Mindanao Command. Nanggaling ang aircraft na ito, sakay ang mga miyembro ng flight, sa Benito N. Ebuen Air Base sa Mactan, Cebu.
“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,” ani Castillo. RNT/SA
