Philippines: Military helicopter crashes during mission after Typhoon Kalmaegi

According to a statement from the Philippine Air Force (PAF), the helicopter was part of a four-plane squadron that departed from Davao City bound for Butuan City to conduct a Rapid Damage Assessment and Needs Analysis (RDANA).

"PAF can confirm that one of its 'Super Huey' helicopters encountered an aviation incident today, 4 November 2025. We are focusing all efforts on the ongoing SAR operations and pray for the safety of the pilots and crew involved in this unfortunate incident," the statement said.

*A Super Huey military helicopter crashed during a mission following Typhoon Kalmaegi.*
*Photo: Philippine Air Force (PAF).*

The Super Huey is the PAF's popular helicopter, commonly used for transport, disaster response and supply missions in remote or weather-affected areas.

The incident occurred as the Mindanao region was hit hard by Typhoon Kalmaegi, with heavy rains and flooding spreading across many provinces in the Philippines.

There are no details yet on the number of crew members or the condition of the victims. PAF said it is conducting a thorough investigation to clarify the cause and circumstances of the accident, and pledged to update information when official confirmation is available.

According to the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting (NCHMF), at 4:00 p.m. on November 4, the center of the storm was located at about 10.7 degrees North latitude; 121.3 degrees East longitude, in the sea west of the central Philippines, about 770 km east of Song Tu Tay Island. The strongest wind near the center of the storm was level 13 (134-149 km/h), gusting to level 16. Moving west at a speed of about 25 km/h.