More debris found off Palawan following PAF crash; 2 pilots missing

PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, Philippines — One of three search vessels on Monday afternoon found more floating debris of what is believed to be part of the tail section of the missing Philippine Air Force OV-10 aircraft that went down in waters off Puerto Princesa while on a training flight on Sunday night.

Lieutenant Greanata Jude, spokesman of the Philippine Coast Guard in Palawan, said the debris was found in Puerto Princesa Bay sometime between 1 p.m. and 2:30 p.m., along the same vicinity where the nose or front section of the aircraft was found earlier on Monday morning.

He said search and rescue operation was still ongoing with three Navy and Coast Guard vessels scouring the waters of Puerto Princesa Bay to search for the two missing pilots of the downed aircraft.

Involved in the search and rescue are Philippine Navy vessels AS71 and PG 383 and Coast Guard patrol vessel BRP Romblon.

The OV-10 Bronco, a fighter plane, took off with another fighter jet for training flights on Sunday night and made its last radio contact around 7:30 p.m. at seven nautical miles east of the Puerto Princesa International Airport.

The nose section of the downed aircraft was found shortly before 7 a.m. Monday floating in the waters just one nautical mile off Puerto Princesa, Jude earlier told reporters here.

“We found … debris of the missing OV-10 this morning. Based on the debris that we saw, we can assume that the plane had crashed and landed in the waters,” Jude said.