Fresh details released by DoTC, collected from its various agencies involved in search-and-rescue efforts, showed that the private plane carrying the former Naga City mayor started experiencing engine trouble an hour before it crashed into sea and disappeared.
Based on the information acquired from the Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA) Public Affairs Division, Robredo was already booked on the Cebu Pacific flight 5J572 that left for Manila from Cebu at 3:50 p.m.
“For reasons known only to Secretary Robredo, he decided to take a private plane instead of taking the commercial flight,” Roxas said.
“The secretary opted to fly using one of the planes of Aviatour Air, an aviation company based in MCIA. Aviatour Air provides professional pilot training, charter, aircraft sales, and maintenance services,” he added.
The Piper Seneca plane, with Registry No. RPC 4431, took off at 3:06 p.m. with four persons on board: Captain Jessup Bahinting, the pilot who is also the owner, chairman, and CEO of Aviatour Air; co-pilot Kshitiz Chand, a Nepalese national; and Secretary Robredo and his aide, Police Chief Inspector June Paolo Abrazado.
At around 3:30 p.m., Abrazado sent a text message to the Police Center for Aviation Security (PCAS)-7 chief, Colonel Ritchie Posadas, saying that the plane had problems with one of its two propeller engines and would return to Cebu.
“Sometime later, (Abrazado) requested to rebook secretary Robredo and himself for the earliest flight possible out of Mactan,” Roxas said. The secretary and Inspector Abrazado were rebooked on Cebu Pacific 5J570, Cebu-Manila that was supposed to leave at 5:05 p.m.
At 4:20 p.m., Abrazado informed PCAS-7 personnel that the Seneca Piper plane would make an emergency landing at the Masbate Airport. When asked if they were okay, Abrazado replied: “okay naman (we’re fine).” This was the last message from Robredo’s party.
MCIA control tower data showed that the plane was descending toward the runway and was just 150 feet in the air.
Robredo was at Consolacion, Cebu, Friday morning to grace the groundbreaking ceremony of the new PNP Regional Training Center.