Female Pilot Loses Life as Helicopter Crashes into Creek in Nueva Ecija
FEMALE PILOT – A female pilot tragically lost her life when her helicopter plunged into a creek in Nueva Ecija.
A devastating helicopter crash took the life of a 25-year-old female pilot in Guimba, Nueva Ecija, after the aircraft plunged into a creek near a rice field on Saturday afternoon. The pilot was reportedly transporting a passenger from Manila to Baguio before the fatal accident occurred.
According to reports, the helicopter, identified as RPC 3424, departed from Manila at around 10:22 AM and successfully arrived in Baguio. It later proceeded to Binalonan, Pangasinan, landing at approximately 12:05 PM for refueling. Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) spokesperson Eric Apolonio stated that the aircraft encountered difficulty starting in Binalonan but eventually managed to take off at around 4:30 PM. Unfortunately, it never reached its intended destination and tragically crashed in Guimba, Nueva Ecija.
Local residents rushed to the scene in an attempt to rescue the pilot, but she remained trapped inside the submerged aircraft due to a tightly fastened seatbelt. George Lutao, one of the rescuers, recalled their desperate efforts to free her.
“Sabi ng pulis sisirin na namin para ma-rescue yung sakay. Kaya yun, hinahanap-hanap namin tapos ako nga yung nakakita sa kaniya, nahawakan ko siya. Hiniwa namin yung seatbelt, mahigpit, kung naalis ‘yon may posibilidad siyang nakalabas,” Lutao shared.
Aside from the deep water, thick knee-level mud further complicated the rescue operation. The Philippine Aeronautical Rescue Coordination Center detected an emergency alert from the helicopter’s locator transmitter between 7:04 PM and 7:14 PM, enabling authorities to locate the crash site.
In response to the tragedy, LionAir Inc., the operator of the helicopter, has temporarily grounded similar aircraft for thorough inspections and investigations. Authorities are continuing their probe to determine the exact cause of the crash and implement necessary safety measures to prevent future incidents.
This heartbreaking event underscores the risks faced by aviation professionals and highlights the critical need for stringent safety protocols to prevent similar tragedies in the future.
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