PAF retrieves F-50 pilots' bodies, grounds jets

A recovery mission launched late Wednesday night, March 5, successfully retrieved the bodies of two Philippine Air Force (PAF) pilots whose F-50 fighter jet crashed in Bukidnon’s Mount Kalatungan on Tuesday, March 4.

The ill-fated aircraft lost contact with another plane shortly after takeoff from Benito Ebuen Air Base in Cebu and was part of an air strike requested to support troops battling a band of New People's Army rebels near Calabugao town in Bukidnon.

By Thursday morning, the pilots' bodies were successfully extracted around 1 AM and carried by foot through challenging terrain from the crash site to Pangantucan before being transported to Cagayan de Oro City for further processing.

The Philippine Air Force has grounded its remaining 11 FA-50 fighter jets pending an investigation into the cause of the accident, while President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. called for an immediate probe into the incident.