On July 4, a Lockheed Martin C-130H Hercules medium transport aircraft operated by the Philippine Air Force (PAF) crashed in Pattikul Village, Jolo, Sulu Province. The Philippine Department of Defense (DND) said in a statement on July 4 that at the time of the accident, the 5125 plane was carrying 96 military personnel.
Secretary of Defense Delfin Lorenzana announced that the plane crashed off the runway while trying to land at Jolo Airport. All the passengers on the C-130H — assigned to PAF’s 220th Airlift Wing, operated by three pilots and five crew members — were Philippine Army personnel who were transferred to the province to strengthen the protection from Abu Sayyaf The security of organized militants and other threats.
DND announced that at least 50 people were killed in the incident, including 3 civilians on the ground, and 53 others were injured, including 4 civilians.
“According to a report by the Philippine Armed Forces (AFP), this C-130 aircraft carrying nearly 100 passengers was preparing to transport troops from Cagayan de Oro City to Sulu Province in Mindanao. Gained momentum and missed the runway,” it said.
The Philippine authorities have retrieved flight data and cockpit recorders from the wreckage, AFP Commander-in-Chief Cirilito Sobejana told the media on July 6.
The C-130H entered PAF service only recently in February. It was the first of two former United States Air Force (USAF) aircraft acquired under the US Excess Defense Item Program. The second aircraft is expected to be delivered by the end of the year.
Another C-130H operated by the unit was cancelled after a fire at Clark Air Force Base in March 2019. It is understood that there are still four serviceable C-130s of various models in its current inventory. However, the C-130 fleet has now been grounded and is awaiting investigation.
The C-130H incident occurred on June 23 when a rotorcraft crashed and all six crew members were killed. The Pakistan Air Force grounded its newly purchased Sikorsky S-70i Black Hawk medium utility helicopter fleet.
The Pakistan Air Force stated that the helicopter had been deployed from Clark Air Force Base for night training exercises and then disappeared near Crow Valley near the air force base.
Xiao Wu
