Flight 585 ‘black box’ sent to UK for analysis

The "black box" or flight data recorder of the ill-fated Laoag International Airline (LIA) Flight 585 will be sent to the United Kingdom (UK) to be transcribed and interpreted, Air Transportation Office (ATO) Chairman Adelberto Yap said yesterday.

The process should take one week, Yap said, adding he has submitted his report on the Fokker-27 crash that killed 19 people on Nov. 11 to the fact-finding commission investigating the matter.

Yap also said LIA’s resumption of operation after it was grounded in the wake of the crash "depends upon the result of the investigation. It’s not me who will take away their franchise."

He said it is up to Congress to allow LIA to continue operations. The ATO only functions as a regulatory body, he said. Whether or not LIA will again fly Philippine skies "will be part of the recommendations of the new fact-finding commission," he said.

LIA officials expressed confidence that the airline would be allowed to resume its flights on the Manila-Laoag-Batanes route during a requiem Mass celebrated at the crash site by Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) chaplain Edmund Desierto yesterday.

"If that is their belief, that’s okay," Yap said of LIA’s position on the matter.

Batanes Rep. Florencio Abad, who was present at the requiem Mass, told The STAR that the House probe into the LIA crash may be delayed because Congress goes into recess on Dec. 18 "and we are preoccupied with the budget, the absentee voting bill and the (Commission on Elections Commissioner Luzviminda) Tancangco impeachment (case)."

However, Abad added that "there is also an initiative from the board of inquiry of the DOTC (Department of Transportation and Communications). We will ask them to accelerate and comply with the President’s mandate to finish it within 15 days."

"I understand from Yap that he has submitted his report and the inquiry will soon complete the investigation that will give closure to this tragedy. If there is anything the victims would want, it would be that justice would be served to those responsible for the tragedy," Abad said.

Asked whether Congress will revoke LIA’s franchise, Abad said "that will come as a matter of course, depending on the fact-finding investigation. I hope that after talking to Yap that they are really doing their best to take the truth out."

The Batanes lawmaker also expressed his desire that the LIA case be devoid of political color. "The good thing about this accident is that the plane is intact, the black box has been found, the pilots are alive, the passengers witnessed the whole thing and there was even a film clip of the whole thing, so there is enough objective basis to make an unbiased and truthful findings on this matter," Abad said.

Abad, however, sidestepped queries about support for Ilocos Norte Rep. Imee Marcos’ push to close LIA down. "This will all depend on the investigation. Once the fact-finding investigation is completed, that will be the basis for decisions to be made, both by the executive (department and) the victims, who may want to file more than just claims, but may even want to sue the airline for damages."

"We are terribly sad. We have been concerned about the way the airline has been managing its operations. We hope the investigation is completed soon and justice is served to those responsible for the tragedy," Abad said.

The crash survivors and victims have been provided for by the government, Abad said. "We have given them burial and medical assistance. We flew the bodies to Batanes yesterday morning and we are in the process of providing them with legal support. We are also trying to cooperate to the extent that we can in the investigation by providing them (survivors) with affidavits. We’re doing everything, but we are hoping that this tragedy finds closure."

Abad told The STAR that another airline, Chemtrad, stops at Batanes, but it "only serves the Tuguegarao-Laoag-Basco route, it does not go all the way to Manila."

He also said Asian Spirit will take up the slack by plying the Manila-Laoag-Batanes route this December and he has asked the DOTC to "get (Asian Spirit) to operate sooner, to issue them clearances, otherwise, there is really no way for us to fly to Batanes from Manila. There are the passenger boats, but, at this time the sea is not too reliable. The weather could change at any time and the boat takes too long. You can never tell what will happen in the middle of the sea."