Fallen fighter pilots: Armed Forces of the Philippines honors them

This as wreckage of fighter jet found in Bukidnon

FALLEN AIRMEN. Major Jude Salang-oy (left) and 1Lt. April John Dadulla, pilots of the ill-fated Philippine Air Force FA-50PH fighter jet, went missing on March 4, 2025. Their wreckage and bodies were discovered at the Mount Kalatungan range in Bukidnon province, as confirmed by the military on Wednesday (March 5, 2025). (Contributed photos)

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY — The fallen pilots of the ill-fated Philippine Air Force (PAF) FA-50 PH fighter jet were honored by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on Wednesday.

This was after the wreckage and the pilots’ bodies were found in Bukidnon province in Mindanao.

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Missing FA-50 fighter jet crashed in Bukidnon, AFP confirms

PH fighter jet went missing after supporting troops in Bukidnon

PAF grounds FA-50 fleet after fatal Bukidnon crash

Shortly after midnight on Tuesday, March 5, Maj. Jude Salang-oy and 1Lt. April John Dadulla, the jets pilots, were reported missing.

This was after the aircraft lifted off from Mactan, Cebu to support ground troops against communist rebels.

The wreckage was found in the Mount Kalatungan range, near the border of Pangantucan and Talakag towns, as confirmed by Eastern Mindanao Command spokesperson Lt. Col. Salvacion Evangelista.

Lt. Col. Francisco Garello, chief of the 4th Infantry Division Public Affairs Office, said the 1st Special Forces Battalion of the 403rd Infantry Brigade was tasked with retrieving the remains.

“From the crash site, the troops will carry the bodies to a nearby landing zone, and a PAF helicopter will airlift them,” he said.

Salang-oy was a delegate at the 2023 International Aerospace Symposium in South Korea.

Dadulla was a native of Manolo Fortich, Bukidnon.

The PAF has grounded its FA-50 fleet and vowed a thorough investigation into the tragedy.