Authorities reported on Wednesday that the latest missing Cessna plane may have crashed in Alcala, Cagayan province's rugged interior.
The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) said that a collaborative search and rescue operation in Alcala has triangulated a possible accident site.
According to the CAAP, the Cessna aircraft 152, registered as RP-C8958, went missing after taking off from Laoag International Airport in Ilocos Norte on Tuesday afternoon.
The missing aircraft, operated by Echo Air, was carrying a flight instructor and a student pilot. Its intended path included a touch-and-go operation at Cauayan Airport before landing at Tuguegarao Airport.
The CAAP stated that the aircraft's last known location was 32 nautical miles northwest of Alcala, Cagayan.
CAAP spokesperson Eric Apolonio previously said that no distress signal was received from people on board.
The Cessna 152, a popular two-seat general aviation airplane in the United States, is primarily used for flight training and personal usage.
Concerns were raised when another plane, RP-C9062, which had taken off from Laoag International Airport just minutes before the missing plane, successfully landed at Tuguegarao Airport at 1:09 p.m. on the same day.
This sparked concerns on the disappearance of the Cessna 152. At 2:49 p.m., the CAAP Operations Center received an INCERFA, or uncertainty notification, due to the difficult circumstances.
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, the Philippine Air Force, and the Philippine Army initiated ground search operations in response to the increased alert levels.
On Tuesday, a missionary chopper flight commanded by Captain Brian Scaadt of New Tribe Missionary attempted a search and rescue operation but was forced to return due to inclement weather.
At 5:52 a.m. on Wednesday, the Philippine Coast Guard launched an aircraft search from Tuguegarao Airport. Its helicopter, too, had to return due to severe weather.
