A U.S. Air Force C-146 special operations aircraft, tail number 15-3086, struck a concrete barrier during takeoff from a highway in northern Philippines on Feb. 24, injuring five American service members and damaging the plane during what had been billed as a first-of-its-kind joint military exercise.
Photo: Municipality of Laoac Pangasinan
The accident occurred during a roadway landing drill in Laoac, Pangasinan, about 200 kilometers north of Manila. The aircraft had successfully landed on the bypass road but veered off course during takeoff, a Philippine official told The Associated Press. The pilot and two crew members were brought to a nearby hospital, while two others were treated at the scene.
U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (Indopacom) said in a statement to The Hill that two service members were transported to a medical facility, one of whom has been discharged while the other remains in stable condition. Indopacom declined to confirm the total number of injuries or the aircraft type, describing the event only as “an incident” under investigation.
The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) confirmed the accident on the night of Feb. 25, saying all crew were accounted for and no civilians were hurt, according to the Philippine News Agency. The AFP offered no further details.
The mishap came hours after Philippine and American officials had gathered on the same road to mark the exercise as a success. Philippine Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro had described it as “a first in the country,” a joint alternate landing operation designed to prepare forces for disasters where airports are destroyed or inaccessible. “We know that there are not many places that have airports or if the airport is flooded,” he told reporters, per the Philippine News Agency.
U.S. Special Tactics Team leader Capt. Ben Huffman said the joint forces had trained together for five months ahead of the operation, the Philippine News Agency reported.
It is not yet known what caused the aircraft to swerve, and neither Indopacom nor the AFP has offered a technical explanation.
The exercise was part of broader U.S.-Philippines military cooperation aimed partly at countering Chinese assertiveness in the South China Sea, where Beijing and Manila have clashed repeatedly over competing territorial claims.
The AFP said further details would be released as the investigation proceeds.
For more information, hit the Source below