Three die in helicopter crash

Three die in helicopter crash

MANILA (Reuter): A Philippine Air Force UH-1H helicopter crashed into a riverbank in the northern Philippines yesterday, killing three people on board.

An official of the government's Air Transportation Office said the pilot, the co-pilot and a crew member died.

Two crew members were injured and are in hospital, he said.

The helicopter crashed in Rosario town in La Union province, 190 kilometers north of Manila.

Police said the cause of the crash appeared to be mechanical failure.

The air force ordered all UH-1Hs grounded pending an investigation. Some of the Philippine armed forces' UH-1Hs, or Hueys, are of Vietnam War vintage.