Wreckage of missing plane was found in Isabelle forests

On Tuesday, December 5, after five days of searching in the remote forests of the Sierra Madre mountain ranges in the province of Isabela, the plane was found. A PZL W-3 Sokol rescue helicopter was sent to search for it.

The helicopter was unable to land immediately due to bad weather. This was reported by the Inquirer.

According to Joshua Hapinat, a spokesman for the Incident Management Team (IMT), which is searching for the plane, the wreckage of the Piper (not the Cessna, as previously reported) was spotted at 8 a.m. in the mountainous Barangay Casala in San Mariano, Isabela after being searched by a Philippine Air Force Sokol helicopter.

The PZL W-3 Sokol rescue helicopter was dispatched to search for the missing Piper RPC 1234, the PAF said in a statement. A civilian R44 Lion Air aircraft also assisted in the search, the PAF added.

"But the helicopter could not get close enough [to the crash site] to determine the condition of the passengers," Hapinat told the Inquirer in a phone conversation.

Weather conditions

According to the PAF, the helicopter was unable to land immediately due to bad weather, but the crew was able to relay the exact location to ground forces.

In Palanan City, where the plane was reported to have crashed for the first time after residents of the area reported hearing an engine noise.

The condition of the plane's pilot, Capt. Levi Abul II, and his only passenger, 43-year-old Erma Escalante, a barangay health worker in Palanan, was not immediately known.

Foronda said the operation to rescue the plane's passengers could not be carried out immediately due to bad weather conditions in the area. As of Sunday, the rescue team had reached the wooded area of Palanan and set up camp about 14 kilometers from where the plane allegedly went down.

Those conducting search and rescue operations on the ground included members of the Philippine Army, Philippine National Police, Bureau of Fire Protection, and municipal disaster risk reduction and management offices from Palanan, San Mariano, and Divilacan.

The PAF said it is also committed to ensuring the availability of its paratroopers and additional rescue helicopters from the 505th Search and Rescue Group for possible helicopter rescue when weather permits.

Investigators have already begun an investigation

Marlene Sagorsor, manager of Caap North Luzon, said investigators from the Air Accident Investigation Board will immediately try to get to the crash site and search for passengers.

"Caap investigators will be on the ground when the area is cleared for air travel. In the meantime, they will wait at the Tactical Operations Group 2 command center [in Kauai]," Sagorsor said in an interview.

As a reminder, the Piper aircraft, owned by Fliteline Airways and operated by Cyclone Airways, took off from Kauai Airport at 9:39 am on November 30. It was scheduled to arrive at Palanan Airport, about 70 km away, at 10:23 a.m. that day.