PAF Black Hawk makes emergency landing in Southern Leyte

A Philippine Air Force (PAF) S-70i Black Hawk helicopter conducted what officials described as a “precautionary landing” in St. Bernard, Southern Leyte, after experiencing a technical issue on Wednesday.

In a statement, the PAF confirmed the incident, saying the Black Hawk conducted the landing “after experiencing fluctuating temperature readings on one of its engines while conducting Rapid Damage Assessment and Needs Analysis operations.”

The PAF assured that all crew and passengers are safe and were immediately assisted by local authorities.

“The S-70i Black Hawk, being a twin-engine helicopter, is designed to safely land with only one operational engine, and the crew followed standard procedures to ensure everyone’s safety,” the PAF said.

It added that a PAF maintenance and investigation team has been deployed to assess the aircraft’s condition and provide immediate requirements for its recovery.

This incident came just a day after a separate tragedy wherein six PAF personnel were killed in a helicopter crash.

On Tuesday, search and rescue teams recovered the six fatalities from a PAF Super Huey helicopter that crashed in Agusan del Sur earlier that day.

The chopper, which was conducting humanitarian operations, was reportedly on its way to Butuan City when it went down in the vicinity of Loreto town—Mariel Celine Serquiña/MCG, GMA Integrated News