Grounded PAF fighter jets may fly anew this week

MANILA, Philippines — Three weeks after the crash of one of the military’s fighter jets in Bukidnon that killed two pilots, the Philippine Air Force is looking at lifting the grounding of the PAF’s remaining 11 FA-50 aircraft.

Although the investigation into the air accident has yet to be concluded, the PAF said the inspection of the grounded planes is almost complete.

“We are committed to bringing this fleet back to full operational status very soon, hopefully within this week,” PAF spokesperson Col. Ma. Consuelo Castillo said yesterday.

Castillo said probers are waiting for the result of the voice and data extraction and assessment, which was done overseas.

“Our investigating team is interviewing all personnel involved, not only on the air, but also on the ground. We are also looking at all the maintenance and history records of our aircraft,” she said.