'Mechanical failure likely cause of Nomad crash'

Mechanical failure initially appears to be the cause of the aircraft crash that killed nine people, including an Air Force general and a civilian, in Cotabato City, the Philippine military said Friday. Eight of the fatalities were passengers of a Nomad plane that burst into flames Thursday morning after plowing across three houses at Virgo Subdivision, Purok 7, Rosary Heights 9 in the city. A civilian – Inday Mondrano, who was in her sixties – died after a wall of one of the houses collapsed on her. The highest-ranking official among the military fatalities was Maj. Gen. Mario Butch Lacson, commander of the Air Force's 3rd Air Division. The other passengers were the pilots, Capt. Genaro Gaylord Ordonio and 1st Lt. Angelica Valdez. Also among the passengers were Maj. Prisco Tacuboy, Lt. Alexander Ian Lipait and Staff Sergeants Ronaldo Mejia, Ianne Christy Marose Llamera and Jeffrey Gozon. "Yung tinitingnan natin is mechanical failure as a cause of the crash (We are looking at mechanical failure as a cause of the crash)," Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) spokesman Lt. Col. Romeo Brawner Jr. said in an interview on dwIZ radio. Air Force spokesman Lt. Col. Gerry Zamudio said in a separate interview over GMA News' Unang Hirit that there are three factors that could cause a plane to crash: human error, environmental conditions, and material factor. Acknowledging that the weather was fine when the Nomad plunged into the residential area, Zamudio said an 18-man team from the Air Force is now investigating what could have really caused the crash.

"Pupunta sila dun sa site, ire-retrieve nila, ire-recover nila yung mga part ng eroplano, at lilinisin nila ito then titignan kung meron silang makukuha na impormasyon mula sa mga intrument ng eroplano kasi pwedeng makita ano yung altitude ng eroplano nung ito ay mag-touchdown sa ground (They will go to the site, and they will retrieve and recover the parts of the airplane. They'll clean these because we can get information from the instruments, such as the altitude of the airplane before it touched the ground)," he said. Zamudio said the team will also talk to witnesses who saw the ill-fated plane crash onto the ground, as well as to airport personnel whom the pilot last talked to before the crash. Nomads grounded The AFP has grounded the Air Force's two remaining Nomad planes while the investigation is ongoing. "Meron pa tayong dalawang Nomads na natitira sa PAF. Habang ginagawa natin ang investigation, they will still be grounded (We have two Nomads in the PAF. While the investigation is ongoing, they will be grounded)," Brawner said. According to the Aviation Safety Network, production of Nomads was halted way back in 1984. There are 32 recorded hull loss accidents of Nomads worldwide so far, including Thursday's crash. Last September, an Indonesian Navy Nomad crashed in East Kalimantan, killing four people and injuring five others, the Jakarta Globe said. But Zamudio protested at the tagging of the aircraft as a "widow-maker." "Magiging unfair tayo dun sa pamilya ng ating mga piloto saka yung mga sumasakay diyan, maging sa Air Force na lumilipad po ng eroplano natin, at saka sa mga mismong maintenance natin na religiously kanila pong ginagwa yung lahat ng kanilang magagawa para ma-maintain practically yung eroplano na yan (We'll be unfair to the families of our pilots and all those who ride those planes, to the Air Force, to the maintenance personnel who do everything they can to maintain those planes)," he said. A GMA Flash Report said the victims' remains are set to arrive at Manila past noon Friday at the Villamor Air Base in Pasay City.. Air Force personnel clad in black to symbolize their mourning will receive the bodies. - with a report from Johanna Camille Sisante/RSJ, GMANews.TV