PAF grounds MG-520 helicopter fleet after one crashed

MANILA (AP) - The Philippine air force has grounded its fleet of U.S.-made MG-520 helicopter gunships after one crashed at sea while taking part in a clash with Muslim insurgents, killing one of its two pilots, officials said Sunday.

Lt. Gen. Eugenio Cedo, a regional military commander, denied news reports that the helicopter was shot down by rebel gunfire, saying engine trouble apparently brought the aircraft down while it was flying back to a military camp.

Air force spokesman Lt. Col. Epifanio Panzo said 17 McDonnell-Douglas MG-520s were ordered grounded pending an investigation into the cause of the crash Saturday of one of the four-seat attack helicopters off southern Basilan island.

Air force investigators were at the crash site to supervise the retrieval of the helicopter and determine why it crashed, Panzo said.

With the MG-520s grounded, government troops will have to temporarily rely on a fleet of Vietnam War-era Huey helicopters and OV-10 bomber planes in an offensive against Abu Sayyaf insurgents on Basilan and nearby Jolo island, Panzo said.

An air force officer familiar with Saturday's crash said the low-flying MG-520 helicopter was serving as a guide for OV-10 bomber planes targeting Abu Sayyaf positions during the clash. On the way back to camp, its engine started vibrating unusually and lost power, he said.

After it crashed in the water, the co-pilot scrambled out of the aircraft but was hit by the rotor and died instantly, the officer told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to reporters.

The other pilot was rescued by a navy ship, he said.