From Rappler (Dec 19): Chopper carrying AFP chief makes emergency landing
![EMERGENCY LANDING: Military chief General Emmanuel Bautista was forced to make an emergency landing last week. PAF photo]( "EMERGENCY LANDING: Military chief General Emmanuel Bautista was forced to make an emergency landing last week. PAF photo")
Armed Forces chief General Emmanuel Bautista was making the rounds in Mindanao to check on the troops when he was forced to make an emergency landing Tuesday last week, December 10, inLanao Del Sur.
Bautista was on his way from the 1st Infantry Division based inZamboanga City
It was a mechanical problem, according to sources, and the chopper was forced to make an emergency landing at theMalabang Airport
"We did a precautionary landing because one of the helicopters in our party had some warning lights on. It is standard procedure for the pilots to land and check the problem but eventually we were able to continue with our flight and reach our destination," Bautista told repoters Wednesday, December 18, when he was asked about it.
They were aboard UH-1H or Huey helicopters, the Vietnam War-era combat ulility helicopters that many Philippine Air Force pilots vouch for in spite of its age. The Philippine military claims it is still being used by some units in theUS
The two Hueys were able to proceed to Cotabato on the same day but the malfunctioning Huey was unable to join in the following rounds.
The incident happened as 3 brand brand new naval choppers arrived fromItaly
The defense department is also finalizing the bidding for 12 refurbished Hueys.
It's not the first time that the military chief was caught in a tricky situation. InZamboanga City
He didn't feel the bullet fly into their location, Bautista recalled, but a fellow military officials picked it up and showed it to him.
http://www.rappler.com/nation/46207-chopper-incident-afp-chief-bautista-emergency-landing
EMERGENCY LANDING: Military chief General Emmanuel Bautista was forced to make an emergency landing last week. PAF photo
Armed Forces chief General Emmanuel Bautista was making the rounds in Mindanao to check on the troops when he was forced to make an emergency landing Tuesday last week, December 10, in
Bautista was on his way from the 1st Infantry Division based in
It was a mechanical problem, according to sources, and the chopper was forced to make an emergency landing at the
"We did a precautionary landing because one of the helicopters in our party had some warning lights on. It is standard procedure for the pilots to land and check the problem but eventually we were able to continue with our flight and reach our destination," Bautista told repoters Wednesday, December 18, when he was asked about it.
They were aboard UH-1H or Huey helicopters, the Vietnam War-era combat ulility helicopters that many Philippine Air Force pilots vouch for in spite of its age. The Philippine military claims it is still being used by some units in the
The two Hueys were able to proceed to Cotabato on the same day but the malfunctioning Huey was unable to join in the following rounds.
The incident happened as 3 brand brand new naval choppers arrived from
The defense department is also finalizing the bidding for 12 refurbished Hueys.
It's not the first time that the military chief was caught in a tricky situation. In
He didn't feel the bullet fly into their location, Bautista recalled, but a fellow military officials picked it up and showed it to him.
http://www.rappler.com/nation/46207-chopper-incident-afp-chief-bautista-emergency-landing