On September 1, 2019, a Beechcraft King Air 350 crashed into a tourist resort in Calamba, Laguna, Philippines while performing a medevac flight from Dipolog to Manila.[3] All nine occupants aboard were killed in the crash.[4]
 RP-C2296, the Beechcraft King Air 350 involved in the accident, seen in March 2012 | |
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | September 1, 2019 |
| Summary | Loss of control |
| Site | Agojo Resort, Pansol, Calamba, Laguna, Philippines 14°10′33.62″N 121°11′34″E / 14.1760056°N 121.19278°E[1] |
| Total fatalities | 9 |
| Total injuries | 2 |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Beechcraft B300 King Air 350 |
| Operator | Lionair (Philippines) |
| Registration | RP-C2296[2] |
| Flight origin | Dipolog Airport, Zamboanga del Norte, Philippines |
| Destination | Ninoy Aquino International Airport, Manila, Philippines |
| Occupants | 9 |
| Passengers | 7 |
| Crew | 2 |
| Fatalities | 9 |
| Survivors | 0 |
| Ground casualties | |
| Ground injuries | 2 |
Accident
editAccording to the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP), the aircraft with registration RP-C2296, which had taken off from Dipolog Airport in Zamboanga del Norte at 1:40pm local time (UTC+8), was bound for Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Manila when it lost radar contact with air traffic control (ATC) at around 3.10pm, while flying 37 miles (60 km) south of Manila.[5][6][7][8] Witnesses nearby reported that the aircraft trailed smoke before plummeting onto the ground.[6]
The aircraft crashed and bursted into flames at the privately owned Agojo Resort in Pansol, Calamba, Laguna near the foothills of Mount Makiling, killing all nine occupants aboard and injuring two others on the ground.[9] Among the dead were a patient being transported and his wife.[10]
Debris from the aircraft landed in separate locations of the subdivision, suggesting that the aircraft disintegrated mid-air.[11] A number of residential houses were destroyed in the blaze,[6] and a nearby resort had a wall damaged in the fiery crash.[5] The accident occurred during the country's monsoon season, when a small number of tourists visit Pansol's resorts compared to the dry season which ended in June.[8]
Aftermath
editFollowing another aircraft crash of an IAI Westwind II at Ninoy Aquino International Airport just months after the accident, the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) grounded the entire Lionair fleet while both crashes were still under investigation.[12]
Investigation
editThe Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) and the Aircraft Accident Investigation and Inquiry Board (AAIIB) were dispatched to the scene to investigate the accident.[13] The aircraft's cockpit voice recorder, which was badly damaged, was retrieved from the crash site and was brought to Australia for analysis.[14] [15] The CAAP said that it has partial information to determine the cause, but would release its final report once the AAIIB has concluded its investigation.[13]
According to the final report released by CAAP, the aircraft encountered adverse weather conditions which led to the aircraft's loss of control in-flight and subsequent breakup. Contributory cause factors to the accident are the presence of inclement weather conditions en route, failure of the pilot to maintain situational awareness and the failure of CRM to apply proper procedures during the situation they encountered.[1]
References
edit- ^ a b "RP-C2296-Accident-1.pdf". Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines.
- ^ Ranter, Harro (September 1, 2019). "Accident Description for RP-C2296". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
- ^ "Several killed as plane crashes in Calamba, Laguna". ABS-CBN News. September 1, 2019. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
- ^ "9 killed in Philippines air-ambulance crash near Manila: authorities". Gulf News. September 1, 2019. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
- ^ a b Cinco, Maricar (September 3, 2019). "Authorities to 'reconstruct' medevac plane". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved May 23, 2020.
- ^ a b c "Laguna plane crash: 9 dead". Ed Amoroso, Emmanuel Tupas. The Philippine Star. September 2, 2019. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
- ^ "2nd LD Writethru: 9 dead in plane crash in Philippines". Xinhua.net. September 1, 2019. Archived from the original on September 1, 2019. Retrieved May 22, 2020.
- ^ a b "All 9 aboard medical evac plane killed in Philippines crash". AP News. September 1, 2019. Retrieved May 22, 2020.
- ^ "9 dead as small plane crashes at Calamba resort in Laguna". Rappler. September 1, 2019. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
- ^ "New Zealand couple among dead in Philippine lightplane crash". Jim Gomez, Nick Perry. AP News. September 2, 2019. Retrieved May 23, 2020.
- ^ "Medevac plane disintegrated in air before crashing in Calamba; investigation awaited". GMA News Online. September 2, 2019. Retrieved May 22, 2020.
- ^ "Probe into ill-fated medical flight may take up to a year: CAAP". ABS-CBN News. March 30, 2020. Retrieved May 23, 2020.
- ^ a b "9 fatalities in air ambulance plane crash in Laguna resort named". CNN Philippines. September 1, 2019. Archived from the original on April 1, 2020. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
- ^ Cinco, Maricar (September 10, 2019). "CAAP to send medical ambulance plane 'recorder' to Australia". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved May 12, 2020.
- ^ "Investigation: AE-2019-054 - Technical assistance to the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines – Aircraft Accident Investigation and Inquiry Board investigation of an accident involving a Beechcraft King Air 350, registered RP-C2298, about 41 km south of Manila, Philippines, on 1 September 2019". Retrieved August 20, 2022.