2019 Philippines Beechcraft King Air crash explained

Occurrence Type:Accident
Summary:Loss of control
Site:Agojo Resort, Pansol, Calamba, Laguna, Philippines
Coordinates:14.176°N 121.1928°W
Total Fatalities:9
Total Injuries:2
Occupants:9
Passengers:7
Crew:2
Fatalities:9
Survivors:0
Aircraft Type:Beechcraft B300 King Air 350
Operator:Lionair (Philippines)
Tail Number:RP-C2296[1]
Origin:Dipolog Airport, Zamboanga del Norte, Philippines
Destination:Ninoy Aquino International Airport, Manila, Philippines
Ground Injuries:2

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.[2] All nine occupants aboard were killed in the crash.[3]

Accident

According 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.[4] [5] 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.[7] Among the dead were a patient being transported and his wife.[8]

Debris from the aircraft landed in separate locations of the subdivision, suggesting that the aircraft disintegrated mid-air.[9] A number of residential houses were destroyed in the blaze,[6] and a nearby resort had a wall damaged in the fiery crash.[10] 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.[5]

Aftermath

Following 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.[11]

Investigation

The 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.[12] The aircraft's cockpit voice recorder, which was badly damaged, was retrieved from the crash site and was brought to Australia for analysis.[13] [14] 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.[12]

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.[15]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Ranter . Harro . Accident Description for RP-C2296 . . September 1, 2019 . April 24, 2020 .
  2. News: Several killed as plane crashes in Calamba, Laguna . . September 1, 2019 . . April 24, 2020 .
  3. News: 9 killed in Philippines air-ambulance crash near Manila: authorities . . September 1, 2019 . . April 24, 2020 .
  4. Web site: 2nd LD Writethru: 9 dead in plane crash in Philippines . https://web.archive.org/web/20190901204146/http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2019-09/01/c_138356089.htm . dead . September 1, 2019 . . September 1, 2019 . May 22, 2020 .
  5. News: All 9 aboard medical evac plane killed in Philippines crash . . September 1, 2019 . May 22, 2020 .
  6. News: Laguna plane crash: 9 dead . Ed Amoroso, Emmanuel Tupas . September 2, 2019 . . April 24, 2020 .
  7. News: 9 dead as small plane crashes at Calamba resort in Laguna . . September 1, 2019 . . April 24, 2020 .
  8. News: New Zealand couple among dead in Philippine lightplane crash . Jim Gomez, Nick Perry . September 2, 2019 . . May 23, 2020 .
  9. News: Medevac plane disintegrated in air before crashing in Calamba; investigation awaited . . September 2, 2019 . May 22, 2020 .
  10. News: Cinco . Maricar . Authorities to 'reconstruct' medevac plane . . September 3, 2019 . May 23, 2020 .
  11. News: Probe into ill-fated medical flight may take up to a year: CAAP . . . March 30, 2020 . May 23, 2020 .
  12. News: 9 fatalities in air ambulance plane crash in Laguna resort named . . September 1, 2019 . . April 24, 2020 . April 1, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200401113108/https://cnnphilippines.com/news/2019/9/1/plane-crash-Pansol-Laguna.html . dead .
  13. News: Cinco . Maricar . CAAP to send medical ambulance plane 'recorder' to Australia . September 10, 2019 . . May 12, 2020 .
  14. Web site: 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. August 20, 2022.
  15. Web site: RP-C2296-Accident-1.pdf. Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines.