RESCUERS were finally able to recover the bodies of the four fatalities from another ‘Cessna’ plane (RPC-2080) that crashed near the mouth of Mayon Volcano last February 25, 2023, one week after the tragedy.
According to Camalig, Albay, mayor, Carlos Irwin Baldo Jr., rescuers headed by the Bureau of Fire Protection and the military managed to reach the crash site near the crater of Mayon Volcano in the afternoon of February 25.
Found dead were the pilot, Capt. Rufino James Crisostomo Jr., aircraft mechanic Joel Martin and their passengers, Australian engineers Simon Chipperfield and Karthi Santhanam.
Last February 18, the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP), issued a “distress” bulletin after losing contact with the twin-piston aircraft.
“A Cessna 340 (Caravan) aircraft with registry number RP-C2080 went missing in Camalig, Albay today, 18 February 2023. Last contact with the aircraft was made with air traffic control at 6:46 AM today, while the aircraft was abeam Camalig Bypass Road,” the CAAP said in a statement.
The plane was supposed to land in Manila at 7:53 a.m. but lost its communication with the tower.
The last contact of the Cessna 340 is with Legazpi approach, or three minutes after it took off.
CAAP said that the Air Traffic Systems of nearby towers did a communication search of the plane but there was no response.
A communication search by Manila Area Control Center, Manila Approach, Naga Tower, Clark Tower, and Changi Airport failed to make contact with the plane.
Meanwhile, there was still no progress report on the search for another Cessna (RP-C1174) single-engine plane that went missing in Isabela province last January 24, 2023, with 6 passengers on board (see also Pinoy Exposé, January 25, 2023).