Wreckage of plane that carried Robredo, pilots to be brought to Manila

ILL-FATED. File photo of Piper Seneca that on Saturday crashed off Masbate. Photo courtesy of PTV

MANILA, Philippines—The wreckage of the Piper Seneca plane that crashed off the coast of Masbate City, killing Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo and the two pilots, are set to be brought to Manila.

The Department of Transportation and Communications (DoTC) said in a statement that the “four crates containing the plane’s fuselage, two wings and engines, and other parts recovered from the crash site” will be transported to Manila beginning Wednesday.

Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) head Admiral Edmund Tan said that PCG vessel 891 will bring the crates from Masbate Wednesday 5:30 a.m. and is expected to arrive at the Manila South Harbor Thursday 2 p.m.

The wreckage will be stored in the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) office in Pasay City where it will be inspected by the CAAP Special Investigation Committee.

Four support groups will look at all possible angles of the crash: human factor, airframe and structure, powerplant, and aircraft systems.

On August 18, the plane carrying Robredo and his aide June Abrazado, was reported to have called Masbate airport requesting to make an emergency landing due to engine trouble as it was en route to Naga city.

The plane crashed in the sea some 800 meters from the Masbate airport, and killed Robredo, the pilot Captain Jessup Bahinting, and copilot Nepalese flight student Kshitiz Chand.