PAF eyeing 'human or material failure' behind OV-10 plane crash

Investigators on Friday said they are now eyeing possible mechanical failure or human error as the cause of a plane crash in Tarlac province that killed two Philippine Air Force (PAF) pilots last Wednesday. Lt. Col. Gerardo Zamudio, PAF spokesman, said the investigation team led by Col. Raymundo Elefante, Air Force safety officer, has ruled out environmental factors as a possible cause of the crash.
"The weather on that day was favorable for flying operations," the initial findings read. Due to this, the PAF will look into the condition of the aircraft prior to the accident. The pilots of the OV-10 Bronco plane were conducting aerial gunnery training when it crashed at the Crow Valley firing range in Tarlac Wednesday afternoon, Armed Forces of the Philippine spokesman Lt. Col. Romeo Brawner Jr. said. Crow Valley is a gunnery and bombing field formerly under the supervision of the US Air Force bfore the 1990s when Clark Air Force Base was still under American control. It is located in Camp O'Donnell in the province, and is now used occasionally by the PAF.—Aie Balagtas See/JV, GMANews.TV