Poor weather stalls search for missing plane

BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya, Philippines – Authorities have yet to find any wreckage of the light plane that went missing shortly after it took off from the Tuguegarao City airport on its way to a coastal Isabela town last Thursday morning.

“We are conducting a limited search because of the inclement weather. We just hope the pilot had followed his flight itinerary or else it would be an intelligence operation involving residents in the remote Sierra Madre areas,” said Chief Superintendent Roberto Damian, Cagayan Valley police director.

The missing Chemrad plane (with tail number RPC 764) was earlier reported to have been sighted in a thickly forested area in the northern Sierra Madre mountain range, particularly in coastal Maconacon town, its supposed destination.

There were also initial reports that the Islander twin-engine plane, with eight people on board, including its pilot and co-pilot, made a forced landing in Baggao town’s Valley Cove in northernmost part of Cagayan.

Heavy rain prevented ground forces from entering the thickly forested area where the plane was reportedly sighted, Damian said.

The plane left the Tuguegarao City airport reportedly in good weather at around 8:55 a.m. Thursday but lost contact with aviation authorities shortly after and failed to land in Maconacon 45 minutes later, as expected.

However, Damian clarified that as of press time, the plane was still considered missing as it – or any of its parts – had not yet been seen.

He said rescuers only have an idea of the general area where it might have crashed or made a forced landing.

Due to the inclement weather and heavily vegetated terrain, rescue and retrieval efforts were either delayed or limited in their trek to the area.

Aboard the missing plane were pilot Capt. Tomas Yañez and co-pilot Capt. Reinir Ruiz, and their passengers SPO2 Rolly Castaños, Celestino Salacup, Abelardo Baggay, Joel Basilio and James Bakilan.

Backed by military choppers, the joint search and recovery teams have had difficulty landing on the supposed crash site between the Maconacon barangay of Flores and Mercedes due to poor visibility.

Air Force Col. Isias Espino, whose Cauayan City, Isabela-based Tactical Unit Group No. 2 was tasked to locate the plane, said they have been conducting intermitted search operations due to poor weather condition despite the sunny weather in the lowlands.

Four helicopters, including two from the Tarlac-based Northern Luzon Command, were on standby and ready to resume operations “if the weather condition warrants.”