TAGUM CITY, Philippines--Authorities suspect that mechanical failure was behind the crash of a light crop duster plane in a banana plantation here on Saturday morning.

Senior Superintendent Benilito Bianzon, Davao del Norte police chief, said on Sunday the pilot of the Cessna plane was unhurt in the accident.

Reports reaching Tagum police identified the pilot as Anselmo Pascual.

Police said the plane (RPR-2576), owned by Sumitomo Fruits Corporation (Sumifru) was flying over the village of Mankilam at around 6:30 a.m. when its engine conked out.

The aircraft hit an abandoned hut when it went down about 50 meters from an airstrip in the area, police said.

The accident was the first to occur in the province in 2008, where vast banana plantations regularly employ light planes for crop spraying.

In 2007, a pilot was killed and another was seriously hurt when two light aircraft collided over a banana plantation in Kapalong town, also in Davao del Norte.

Another pilot died and his companion was injured when their plane crashed due to inclement weather in Compostela town, Compostela Valley months after.