Overview
- The helicopter went down in Barangay Sabud, Loreto, Agusan del Sur, near the Army’s 60th Infantry Battalion base.
- The Bell UH-1H was one of four aircraft flying from Davao to Butuan for a rapid damage assessment and needs analysis mission after Typhoon Kalmaegi/Tino.
- Radio contact was lost about 42 minutes after takeoff, triggering a search and rescue that confirmed the crash roughly 19 minutes later.
- Recovery teams retrieved two pilots and four crew from the 505th Search and Rescue Group, and authorities are withholding identities pending family notification.
- An Air Force Board of Inquiry and Scene of the Crime Operatives are examining the site, as nationwide relief continues and the government has declared a state of emergency over the typhoon’s toll.