Authorities may reach the crash site of the missing two-seater Piper plane within two to three days, Isabela Police Provincial Office (PPO) said on Tuesday, Dec. 5.
Based on the Incident Management Team (IMT) Isabela obtained by DZRH, the wreckage of a plane was exactly sighted in a mountain located in Brgy. Casala, San Mariano, Isabela.
Crash site ng Piper plane sa Isabela aabutin pa ng 2 hanggang 3 araw bago marating - Provincial Director, Isabela Police Provincial Office | RH 25 Grace Sansano#RapidoHatawBalita#SamaSamaTayoPilipino
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Isabela PPO Provincial Director Julio Ho confirmed to RH Grace Sansano that ground operations or the travel by foot to reach exact crash site may take two to three days.
Ho said authorities would also simulatenously launch an aerial operations.
According to Sansano, Isabela PPO have yet to confirm if the onboard pilot and the passenger have survived the crash.
On Tuesday morning, Atty. Watu Foronda, head of Isabela Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office (PDRRMO), confirmed to RH Sherwin Alfaro that a Philippine Air Force (PAF) Sokol helicopter found the missing Piper plane.
"However, the chopper cannot get close enough to determine the condition of the occupants," Foronda said in a message.
The Cyclone Airways' Pipper plane with a tail number PA-32-300 went missing last Thursday, Nov. 30, as reported by the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP).
CAAP said the two-seater Piper plane took off at exactly 9:39 AM at Cauayan Airport in Isabela, but it lost communication at around 9:50 AM.
The two-seater aircraft failed to reach at the arrival time of 10:23 AM at the Palanan Airport.