Helicopter crash in northern Philippines kills its pilot

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — A helicopter crashed in a northern Philippine province, killing its pilot, who was the only person on board after she transported a passenger to a nearby city, Philippine officials said Sunday.

The four-seat helicopter owned by a domestic carrier took off from the Philippine capital, Manila, on Saturday for the northern mountain resort city of Baguio, where it dropped off the passenger, the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines said.

From Baguio, the helicopter landed at an airstrip in Binalonan town in nearby Pangasinan province to refuel on its way back to Manila.

Binalonan airport officials noted that “the aircraft experienced difficulty restarting its engine” before it managed to take off before nightfall, according to the civil aviation authority.

The helicopter later crashed in a swampy area in Guimba town in Nueva Ecija province, southeast of Pangasinan. The body of the pilot was retrieved from the wreckage, which was partly submerged in the swamp, police officials said.

Aviation authorities were investigating the cause of the crash. The Philippines has had a history of accidents involving small aircraft in recent years.