Cessna passenger plane missing since Tuesday: official
A Cessna passenger plane went missing less than an hour after it took off from Cauayan airport in Isabela on Tuesday afternoon.
In a radio interview, Constante Foronda, head of the Isabela Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) said the plane with tail number RP-C1174 was reported missing after it did not arrive at its destination in Maconacon, Isabela.
Foronda said the plane with five passengers and one pilot on board was able to transmit its last location along the area of Naguilian Bridge before it went missing.
"The last transmission of the pilot is when they are still in a lowland area along Naguilian bridge which is only a few meters away from the airport of origin," he said.
"The last location is a populated area; it is a long bridge crossing the Cagayan river. The general direction of the aircraft is towards Maconacon which is east northeast of Cauayan," he added.
Foronda said the weather in the area of Cauayan was clear when the plane took off but he noted there were reports that the wind in Sierra Madre is turbulent.
He noted that the search and rescue which was suspended Tuesday because of the bad weather condition will resume Wednesday once the weather permits.
Air Force spokesperson Col. Ma Consuelo Castillo said the PAF has standby two aircraft to assist in the conduct of search and rescue operation.
"The PAF was tapped by the Office of Civil Defense (OCD 2) in Isabela... We have two helicopters on standby at Tactical Operations Group 2, Cauayan Isabela.. We have been in coordination with OCD 2 and PDRRMC which spearheads the SAR operations," she said.
"Our helicopter took off past 10am for Cauayan but weather was bad in the area of search.. they will resume once weather becomes favorable to fly," she added. Robina Asido/DMS
