Plaridel, Bulacan (CNN Philippines) — Aviation authorities are now investigating the cause of a trainer plane crash in Plaridel, Bulacan on Tuesday (September 15), which left two pilots dead.
The Cessna 152, a single-propeller aircraft usually used a trainer, plunged into a backyard beside the end of Runway 17 of Plaridel Airport. The plane barely missed hitting a nearby cockpit arena where almost a hundred enthusiasts were gathering.
Related: Pilot, student die in trainer plane crash in Bulacan
Two of the plane’s pilots died in the crash. Capt. Arthur Rebollido, 40, was pronounced dead on arrival at the Bulacan Provincial Hospital in Malolos town.
The 24-year-old student pilot, James Oquialda, was in critical condition and later died from injuries.
Doctors at Peralta Hospital tried to stop the internal bleeding on Oquialda’s fractured skull. He was transferred to the bigger Our Lady of Mercy Hospital in Pulilan town but passed away at midnight.
Investigation ongoing
Civil aviation authorities said the plane was performing a touch-and-go exercise before the crash. A touch-and-go circuit is a repetitive practice of landing on a runway and taking off without stopping.
Witnesses said the plane was flying too low after its takeoff at around 4 p.m. on Tuesday.
Others said the plane was in flight for five minutes when its engines suddenly stopped, sending the plane down. But the information has yet to be verified.
Witnesses, however, doubted that bad weather was a factor, saying the rain had just stopped before the aircraft took off.
The Civil Aviation Authority is still probing the cause of the crash, whether it was human error or mechanical failure.
“Our investigation is focused on gathering the information, data that could clear what really happened on the accident,” said Bert Dulay, lead investigator of the CAAP Aircraft Accident Investigation and Inquiry Board.
