A Cessna plane carrying four people went missing in Albay Saturday morning minutes after take off, the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines said as it declared the emergency to be in “distress phase.”
Four people—one pilot, one crew, and two passengers—were on board the Cessna 340 plane with registry number RP-C2080 that left the Bicol International Airport at 6:43 a.m. yesterday.
This happened more than three weeks after another Cessna plane with six persons on board also went missing in Isabela Province.
CAAP spokesperson Eric Apolonio said communication searches with CAAP Air Traffic Service Facilities, Manila Area Control Center, Naga Tower, Clark Tower, and Sangley Airport yielded negative results for any information on the aircraft.
Concerned agencies and authorities such as the local government unit of Camalig, Philippine Air Force (PAF), Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), Office of
cessna…Civil Defense (OCD), and National Disaster Risk Reduction & Management Council (NDRRMC) have been informed about the incident and are coordinating with CAAP in the search and rescue (SAR) operations for the aircraft.
“CAAP has also dispatched officers from its Aircraft Accident Investigation and Inquiry Board (AAIIB) to assist in the emergency that is now in Distress Phase,” said Apolonio.
The Manila-bound flight’s last contact with the air traffic control was at 6:46 a.m. while abeam the Camalig Bypass Road.
In January, the Cessna 206 type plane with six persons on board went missing following its departure from Cauayan Airport.