Student pilot, instructor hurt in Cessna plane crash

BAGUIO CITY, Philippines – Amid the exodus of Philippine Airlines pilots, a student pilot and his instructor were injured yesterday morning when a two-seater Cessna 152 trainer airplane crashed while landing at the Loakan Airport here.

The pilot of the plane Captain Glen Pedraja and student pilot Paul Burns suffered minor injuries and were treated at the Philippine Military Academy Hospital.

Police Inspector Carolina Desiderio, station chief of the PNP Aviation Security Group at the Loakan Airport said the landing gear of the Cessna plane with tail number RPC 8864 and owned by Omni Aviation Flying School based in Clark Field, Pampanga, had allegedly overshot the runway that caused the aircraft to turn upside down at around 9:27 a.m.

 “We cannot yet ascertain what really caused the accident pending investigation by the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines,” Desiderio said.

The Cessna 152 is still widely used worldwide by private individuals and flying schools.

Benhur Gomez, president of Omni Aviation Flyng School, told radio station dzBB that the ill-fated aircraft is one of three trainer planes that conducted cross-country training flights from Clark Field to the Loakan Airport.

He said that cross-country training that landing in several airfields in one day, is a requirement for student pilots before they can be certified as commercial pilots.

Gomez said the company had sent their maintenance crew to investigate the accident.

He said the mishap came at the heels of a shortage of pilots at PAL after more than 10 pilots resigned to get higher-paying jobs abroad.

Gomez said it is now time to train more local pilots to avoid a shortage of pilots who are forced to get jobs in foreign airliners that pay higher salaries.  – With Rudy Santos