US Air Force plane figures in landing drill ‘incident’
An aircraft of the United States Air Force figured in a “landing incident” during a joint training exercise on a roadway in Laoac, Pangasinan, on Tuesday, the Armed Forces of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said on Wednesday.
The plane’s pilot and crew were all accounted for and safe, and no civilians were injured, the AFP added.
The AFP didn’t disclose details of the incident or what caused it, but said an investigation was ongoing.
The C-146 aircraft was taking part in a bilateral roadway landing drill intended to simulate operations from damaged or improvised airstrips, the AFP said in the statement.
The exercise was conducted in a controlled training environment as part of efforts to enhance interoperability, as well as humanitarian assistance and disaster response capabilities, it added.
According to the US Air Force, the C‑146A Wolfhound is a transport aircraft built for short takeoff and landing on rough or improvised airfields. It is commonly used to move troops and equipment and to support disaster response and other operations in austere or difficult environments.
Roadway landing drills have been incorporated into recent joint exercises between Philippine and US forces to train for dispersed air operations, particularly in disaster scenarios where established runways may be unusable, the AFP said.
