Crash The Ill-fated chopper at the crash site at the Clark Free Zone. Photo courtesy of CAAP

1 dead, 2 hurt in Clark chopper crash

August 17, 2022 Bernard Galang 1293 views

CLARK FREEPORT – A pilot died while two others were injured when a helicopter crashed within the vicinity of the National Agri-Business Corporation (Nabcor) in this Freeport.

Mabalacat Mayor Cris Garbo said that pilot Diosdado Lumanlan and two mechanics, Ivan Abiong and Rodley Esogon, were conducting a technical repair of a 1973 helicopter with model MD369HS when the crash transpired based on the Clark Development Corp. (CDC) Public Safety Division incident report.

Lumanlan died in the crash, while Abiong and Esogon were hurt.

Garbo added that he instructed the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office to look into the incident as it is within the jurisdiction of Mabalacat City.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the family of the victims of this unfortunate incident that happened this morning at the Clark Freeport Zone, which led to the death of the pilot, Diosdado Lumanlan, and injured two mechanics, Ivan Abiong and Rodley Esogon,” Garbo said in a statement.

The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) is conducting a parallel investigation into the helicopter crash.

In the official statement, the CAAP GO team Aircraft Accident Investigation and Inquiry Board (AAIIB) and Flight Standard Inspectorate Service were quickly rushed to the crash site after the rotary-wing aircraft (chopper) operated by Pacific Spotters Corporation with registry number RP C6911 crashed landed in the area of Clark Freeport Zone.

The two injured mechanics were rushed to Medical City in Clark for serious medical attention.

The CAAP-AAIIB did not elaborate on more details and asked the public to wait for the result of the investigation. By Bernard Galang and Jun I. Legaspi

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