Philippine Air Force Labels Chinese Helicopter Maneuver as ‘Extremely Dangerous’

The Philippine Air Force (PAF) has strongly criticized the actions of a Chinese Harbin Z-9 helicopter, describing its maneuvers near a Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) 208B Grand Caravan EX aircraft as ‘unsafe and extremely dangerous.’ The incident, which took place on February 18 during a routine maritime surveillance flight over Bajo de Masinloc, was highlighted by PAF spokesperson Col. Ma Consuelo Castillo. She emphasized the dangerous proximity of the Chinese helicopter, which reportedly came within three meters of the Philippine aircraft, a distance she deemed far too close and hazardous. Castillo, leveraging her experience as a helicopter pilot, reviewed video footage of the event and expressed concerns over the safety of those on both aircraft. She further explained that standard aviation protocol dictates a safe distance of one to two wing spans between fixed-wing aircraft, which for smaller Philippine training aircraft equates to about 11 meters. For helicopters, the safe distance should be between two to three rotor spans, or 34.2 to 51.3 meters, a guideline clearly breached in this incident.