Black box recovered from crashed Philippines military plane
- The military chief said the black box should enable investigators to listen to the conversations of the pilots and crew before the C-130 aircraft crashed
- The pilot in command was among 52 who died in the accident on Jolo island
The pilot in command, who had several years of experience flying a C-130 aircraft, was among those who died in the crash on Jolo island, Sobejana said.
The military chief said a black box was retrieved on Monday and should enable investigators to listen to the conversations of the pilots and crew before the plane crashed.
“I spoke to the survivors and they said the plane bounced two to three times and zigzagged. The pilot tried to regain power because he wanted to lift the plane but it was too late. The right-wing hit a tree,” he said.
Sobejana said no one jumped from the aircraft before it crashed. There had been earlier accounts from witnesses that some passengers had tried to leap to safety before the aircraft struck the ground.
He said the front of the aircraft was sliced open and some of the soldiers took advantage of the opening to escape. But those who were unconscious were unable to get out and the plane burst into flames.