The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) must first determine whether the plane wreckage discovered near the Mayon Volcano on Sunday is the same aircraft reported missing in Albay province since Saturday.
CAAP spokesperson Eric Apolonio said in a Laging Handa briefing on Monday that they received information about an aircraft sighting on Sunday in Barangay Sirangay, Camalig town, Albay.
Apolonio stated that because CAAP had only received aerial or drone shots of the wreckage, they could not confirm whether it was the missing aircraft.
He added that investigators must first inspect the aircraft to determine the cause of the crash.
Parts of the aircraft must be rebuilt in order for investigators to determine whether the problem was mechanical, weather-related, or caused by a pilot error. "We really couldn't say unless the aircraft parts could be recovered," he explained.
Apolonio stated that the investigators would also look into why the aircraft flew into the no-fly zone area.
A Cessna 340 plane with the registration RP-C2080 went missing shortly after takeoff from Bicol International Airport at 6:43 a.m. Saturday before last.
One pilot, one crew member, and two passengers were on board the Manila-bound plane when it was last contacted by air traffic control at 6:46 a.m.
Meanwhile, a Cessna 206 plane carrying six people has been missing in Isabela province since January 24.
