PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, Palawan — A minor incident occurred at Puerto Princesa City airport Saturday morning involving a Philippine Air Force light lift NC212i aircraft, which veered off the runway and onto the adjacent grassy area.

Brigadier General Erick Escarcha, the wing commander of Tactical Operations Wing West, confirmed the incident, which took place around 9:30 a.m.

He described the incident as minor, noting that the aircraft skidded into a grassy area and the pilots promptly shut it down, avoiding any property damage.

"It's a minor incident—the aircraft skidded towards the grassy portion. The pilots also quickly conducted precautionary measures, they shut down the aircraft, and no properties were damaged. It's like the airplane just went out onto the sidewalk of the road," Escarcha said.

Escarcha further clarified that the aircraft had no civilian passengers onboard, just its two pilots and three crew members, all of whom were unharmed.

He also mentioned that the NC212i is versatile, and used for a range of air operations such as troop and cargo transport, search and rescue, medical evacuation, and maritime patrols. Notably, it can operate on unpaved runways. The aircraft is currently stationed at Antonio Bautista Air Base and remains fully operational.