Flight instructor, student pilot die as plane crashes in Pangasinan
INQUIRER FILES
MANILA, Philippines — A flight instructor and his student pilot died after the Cessna training aircraft they were using crashed in Lingayen, Pangasinan on Sunday, according to the Philippine National Police (PNP) in Lingayen.
The aircraft, registered as RP-C8595, was operated by Pilipinas Space Aviation Academy Inc.
The incident occured around 8:01 a.m. and was reported to authorities at 8:40 a.m., Plt. Col. Amor Mio Somine, officer-in-charge of PNP-Lingayen, Pangasinan, said in a radio interview.
The pilot (32 years old) and student pilot (25 years old)—both male—were declared dead on arrival at the hospital.
“Kaka-touch down lang nila according to the duty personnel ng Caap [Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines] doon sa airport. Pang sampung batch daw na nila, bale ‘yun sana ‘yung final na rotation nila. Kaya lang pagkatouch down sa airport, lumipad ulit, wala pang isang minuto bumagsak na po ‘yung Cessna plane,” Somine said at a Radyo 630 interview.
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(They had just touched down, according to the duty personnel of CAAP at the airport. It was reportedly that they were already on their 10th batch, and it was supposed to be the pilot’s final rotation. However, right after touching down at the airport, the Cessna plane took off again and five minutes later it crashed.)
“Ang initial info na nakuha nmin, dalawang beses na nasabi ng ‘Mayday, Mayday’. ‘Yun lang po yung word na huling narinig doon sa pilot ng Cessna plane,” he added.
(The initial information we gathered indicates that “Mayday, Mayday” was said twice. That was the last word heard from the pilot of the Cessna plane.)
Caap, in a statement, confirmed the incident, adding that authorities have already launched a formal investigation to determine the cause of the incident.
“Meanwhile, the flying school is grounded pending the result of the ongoing investigation,” it said.
“Further updates will be provided as more details become available,” Caap added.
Barangay (village) Libsong East chairman Edgardo Diaz said in a phone interview that the crash occurred in a vacant lot in their village just outside the fence of the Lingayen Airport, which is used by numerous flying schools, at around 8 a.m.
Diaz said they found two passengers inside the plane. One of the passengers was taken to the hospital by police and the other was taken to the Lingayen Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office.
The passengers’ names were not immediately known, as authorities are still investigating the incident. With additional report from Yolanda Sotelo, Inquirer Luzon
