Probe panel sees engine failure in Nomad crash

MANILA, Philippines - The Nomad plane crash in Cotabato City that claimed the lives of nine people last month may have been caused by an engine failure, a body tasked to investigate the incident said.

In a statement, the Philippine Air Force (PAF) said the Aircraft Accident Investigation Board has completed an initial report that stated that the ill-fated Nomad plane may have encountered a right-hand (RH) engine failure while in flight.

“Initial investigation reveals that the left-hand engine and propeller were badly damaged and the components thereon were detached upon impact while the right-hand engine was intact,” PAF spokesman Gerardo Zamudio Jr. said.

“It is believed that the LH (left-hand) engine and propeller were still operating and rotating at high speed when the plane hit the concrete house upon impact. The board has also a theory that the pilot may have encountered RH engine failure while on flight,” he added.

To verify the findings, Zamudio said the board would open the Nomad’s RH engine to determine its condition before the crash.

He said technical experts from engine manufacturer Rolls Royce would help in the investigation.

In a telephone interview, Zamudio said there is no exact date yet as to when the plane’s engine would be inspected. “It will be done once the technical experts arrive,” he said.

The board consisted of 18 PAF personnel led by Air Force Col. Raymundo Elefante.

Zamudio said the board based its report on the transcript of the conversation between the air traffic controller and the aircraft, and the plane parts retrieved from the crash site.

Witnesses were also interviewed to get their accounts and to analyze the plane’s altitude before the crash.

Zamudio said they would continue to ground the remaining Nomad aircraft until the real cause of the crash is determined. 

The crash left the PAF with just one serviceable Nomad, as another Nomad is undergoing repair.

Killed in the crash were Maj. Gen. Mario Butch Lacson, commander of the PAF’s 3rd Air Division; Capt. Genaro Gaylord Ordonio, 1Lt. Angelica Valdez, Maj. Prisco Tacuboy, Lt. Alexander Ian Lipait, Staff Sergeants Ronaldo Mejia, Ianne Christy Marose Llamera and Jeffrey Gozon, and Inday Mondrano, a civilian who died after a concrete wall fell on her.

Even before the board completed its investigation, military officials theorized that a mechanical error may have caused the crash.