PAF fighter jet pilots’ remains extracted from Bukidnon crash site

FALLEN AIRMEN – Major Jude Salang-oy (left) and 1Lt. April John Dadulla, pilots of the ill-fated Philippine Air Force FA-50PH fighter jet that crashed in Bukidnon. (Contributed photos)

MANILA, Philippines — The remains of the two pilots of the ill-fated FA-50 fighter jet of the Philippine Air Force have been extracted from the crash site in the Kalatungan mountain range in the Bukidnon early Thursday morning, according to the 4th Infantry Division of the Philippine Army.

4th Infantry Division Spokesperson  Lt. Col. Francisco Garello said the bodies were transferred to Pangantucan in Bukidnon before they were transported to Cagayan de Oro City.

“Yes, they were successfully extracted, around midnight. Around 1 a.m. they were taken out of the crash site going to the pickup point in Pangantucan, Bukidnon. From there, the cadavers were transported by a military vehicle to Cagayan de Oro City in Barangay Lumbia,” Garello said, partly in Filipino. 

“I cannot give an exact estimate of the distance from the crash site to the pickup point but it would take six hours by foot,” he added. 

On Tuesday, Philippine Air Force (PAF) spokesperson Col. Maria Consuelo Castillo reported that an FA-50 fighter jet went missing shortly after midnight while en route to Mactan Airbase in Cebu.

The jet was found by ground troops in the vicinity of the Mt. Kalatungan Complex, Bukidnon on Wednesday morning, along with the remains of the pilots.

All PAF’s FA-50 fighter jets were grounded amid investigation following the crash.