Indonesian survives plane crash

CAMP ELPIDIO QUIRINO, Bantay, Ilocos Sur—An Indonesian student pilot survived when his Cessna plane crashed into the mountains of Cervantes town while he was on a training flight on Monday, police and rescue workers said on Tuesday.

Michael Djaja suffered bruises in the head and cuts in the mouth after his two-seat Cessna 152 plane, with tail number RPC 6071, crashed in remote Sitio Maslong in Barangay Dinwede West in Cervantes, Eric Siano, one of the rescuers, said.

Djaja, 19, is a student of Leading Edge International Aviation Academy based in Poro Point in San Fernando City in La Union.

Police said Djaja was maneuvering to return to San Fernando City when the plane’s engine stopped. He left San Fernando at 10 a.m. Reports said Djaja was forced to do an emergency landing at Mt. Makiso in Sitio Maslong.

Cervantes Mayor Benjamin Maggay said the crash site, which is about 50 kilometers from the town proper, is in the mountains and could only be reached after an eight-hour hike.

Siano said residents of Dinwede West rescued Djaja and took him to the house of village councilor Rolando Agiwang in Sitio Batawang at past 2 p.m. on Monday.

In Manila, Lt. Cmdr. Armand Balilo, Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) spokesperson, said the PCG action center received a phone call on Monday from the aviation school’s Taguig City office to report that its Cessna plane had been missing since 10:12 a.m. in the vicinity of San Fernando City.

Coast Guard, said Balilo, immediately sent search and rescue teams and later received a report that the plane has been found.

In La Union, Donabelle Bello, a flight instructor of Leading Edge, said two Huey helicopters carrying rescuers left San Fernando City on Tuesday to airlift Djaja.

Bello said reports indicated that Djaja had difficulty speaking but was in stable condition.

She said Djaja had flown more than 80 hours and had gone on several training flights.

Edilberto Sonio, in charge at the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) in the Ilocos, said a rescue team from the Department of Transportation and Communications, Philippine Air Force and Philippine National Police had been sent to Cervantes to retrieve the damaged plane. Leoncio Balbin Jr. and Yolanda Sotelo, Inquirer Northern Luzon; with a report from Jerry Esplanada in Manila