Danger for crew and passengers: aerial maneuver causes pilots to panic
South China Sea - The already tense situation over the South China Sea has been exacerbated by a dicey encounter in the air. According to eyewitnesses, an airplane and a helicopter came dangerously close to each other.
The dramatic scene took place last Tuesday over Scarborough Reef - an area claimed by both China and the Philippines.
A Chinese naval helicopter came dangerously close to a Philippine patrol aircraft.
The helicopter is said to have come within three meters of the Cessna Caravan.
There were also several foreign media representatives on board the aircraft who witnessed the dangerous maneuver themselves - including a journalist from the AP.
Radio messages from the Filipino pilot shed light on how dangerous the situation was. "You are flying too close, you are a danger and you are endangering the lives of our crew and passengers," he shouted to the helicopter pilot.
The tense situation lasted for around 30 minutes until both aircraft finally moved away from each other again.
Philippines want to continue to fight for their sovereignty in the region
China defended the risky maneuver and accused the Philippine aircraft of illegally entering Chinese airspace.
The Philippines, in turn, stated that it would continue to defend its sovereignty in the region - even in the face of China's increasingly "aggressive and escalating" actions.
The Philippines "confused right and wrong and spread false stories", it said later in a statement by Colonel Tian Junli, spokesman for the command that dispatched the helicopter.