The cockpit voice and flight data recorders of a military plane that crash-landed on Jolo Island have been found, Philippines officials said on July 6.
As many as 53 persons were killed when the C-130 Hercules transport plane that was carrying 96 people crashed into a coconut grove after overshooting a runway during the landing on the island in the southern Sulu province of the Philippines.
Eyewitness and survivor accounts revealed that the plane had made a hard landing before bouncing twice and taking off again to finally hit a tree outside the airport, according to Lt. Gen. Corleto Vinluan, chief of the Western Mindanao Command.
The plane’s occupants included mostly soldiers being sent as part of a counter-insurgency team to Jolo island, which was a haven for Islamic militants, he said, adding that the crash toll had risen to 50 following the death of a soldier from smoke and chemical burns.
While three civilians also died after being struck by the falling plane amidst the coconut trees and houses, 50 others including soldiers suffered burn injuries after the four-engine aircraft burst into flames.
Meanwhile, the cockpit voice and flight data recorders will be sent to the United States for analysis in finding out what had caused the plane to crash, Vinluan said.
The CVR records flight crew conversations and the flight data recorder holds information about the speed, altitude, and direction of the plane.
