2012 Philippines Piper Seneca crash

On August 18, 2012, a Piper PA-34 Seneca light aircraft with four people on board, including Philippine Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo, crashed in the sea near the island province of Masbate, Philippines, while flying from Mactan to Naga. Robredo and two other occupants were killed in the accident.[1]

2012 Philippines Piper Seneca crash
The Piper Seneca involved in the accident
Accident
DateAugust 18, 2012 (2012-08-18)
SummaryCrashed on approach due to engine failure and pilot error
SiteOff the coast of Masbate Island near Moises R. Espinosa Airport, Masbate City, Philippines
12°23′18″N 123°37′36″E
Aircraft
Aircraft typePiper PA-34-200 Seneca I
OperatorAviatour Air
RegistrationRP-C4431
Flight originMactan–Cebu International Airport, Lapu-Lapu, Philippines
DestinationNaga Airport, Naga, Philippines
Occupants4
Passengers2
Crew2
Fatalities3
Injuries1
Survivors1

Background

Interior and Local Government Secretary Robredo and his aide, Police Chief Inspector June Paolo Abrazado, were in Cebu to attend the National Summit of the Community Investigative Support and the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group. Robredo originally booked an airline flight from Mactan–Cebu International Airport to Manila, but instead chartered an aircraft[2] to take him to Naga so he could be with his family.[3]

Accident
Mactan–Cebu Airport
Naga Airport
Masbate Airport
Key locations of the flight

The aircraft was a Piper PA-34-200 Seneca I, registered RP-C4431.[2][4][5] In addition to Robredo and Abrazado there were two crew on board; the pilot who was also the CEO of Aviatour Air (the company that operated the aircraft); and the co-pilot, a Nepalese national.

En route to Naga the crew of the Seneca requested an emergency landing at Masbate Airport, citing engine problems.[6][7] At around 15:30, Abrazado sent a text message, informing the recipient that they were returning to Cebu due to a problem with one of the propellers [sic].[2] He also asked to be re-booked for the earliest possible flight out of Mactan.[2] However, at 16:02, Abrazado sent more messages, stating that the airplane was making an emergency landing at Masbate Airport.[2]

The airplane then crashed into the sea off the shores of Masbate Island[7] some 300 meters (980 ft) away from the island's airport.[5] Of the four people aboard the aircraft, the sole survivor, Robredo's aide, said that the airplane broke apart as it hit the water.[6]

Search and recovery

More than 200 rescuers together with Philippine military divers and helicopters started searching for the passengers after the crash.[8][9] Assistance was also provided by Korean technical divers and a lone German diver.[10][11] Additionally, the United States Navy sent the USNS Safeguard, a rescue and salvage ship that was undergoing repairs in a dry dock at Subic Bay, to help.[12]

Abrazado was then found about 500 meters (1,600 ft) off the coast, along with the wreckage.[6] The first part of the airplane found was the tip of the right wing.[4] A flight manifest containing the name of Jesse Robredo was also found near the site of accident the next day.[9] On August 20, debris from the aircraft was recovered.[13]

President Benigno Aquino went to Masbate the day after the crash to personally receive updates on the situation. He was accompanied by Transport Secretary Mar Roxas, who said that special sonar equipment was also sent to aid in the search and that "we just want to do everything we can to save him [Robredo]." Aquino also said that Abrazado was conscious and had only a few injuries.[6]

On August 21, Roxas announced that divers had found the inverted fuselage and that Robredo's body was brought to shore by the Philippine Coast Guard. The wreckage was some 800 meters (0.5 mi) from the Masbate shoreline at a depth of about 54 meters (177 ft).[14] On August 22, divers recovered a second body, later identified as that of the pilot, by raising the wreckage to a depth of 21 meters (69 ft). The copilot's body was retrieved by the crew of a passenger ferry the next day after it was seen floating near the crash site.[15]

Reactions

The government called for a prayer vigil at a chapel in Manila.[6] The company that owns the aircraft suspended its operations without waiting for an official order.[9] Following the retrieval of Robredo's remains, President Aquino declared a national day of mourning and announced that a state funeral would be held, while flags were flown at half-mast.[16] Paquito Ochoa, Jr. was named to Robredo's portfolio in an interim capacity.[17]

Investigation

President Aquino revealed details of the accident investigation and its findings during a media briefing on November 13, 2012.[18][19] The investigation found that improper maintenance led to the right engine suffering an internal failure, which likely would have caused misfiring and intermittent operation of the fuel pump.[18] The failure was gradual and the aircraft developed engine problems 23 minutes after take off.[19] However, instead of turning back to Cebu, the pilot decided to continue the flight, until the engine failed completely 37 minutes later and the aircraft crashed during the subsequent attempt to land at Masbate.[18] The investigation determined that the pilot didn't use the correct procedure for trying to land a Piper Seneca with one engine inoperative, in that he lowered the undercarriage and flaps too soon; and that during his last flight proficiency test he had not been tested with respect to flying with one engine inoperative.[18][20]

The investigation found that the maintenance of the Seneca had been undertaken by Aviatour Air, but that the company was not authorised or approved to do so.[18] It also found that records relating to a test flight for renewal of the aircraft's certificate of airworthiness in January 2012 had been falsified and that the test flight never took place.[18][20] An airworthiness inspector of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines was suspended from duty as a result, pending the outcome of a separate investigation.[18][21] Representatives of the pilot's family and Aviatour Air disputed the findings.[22]

See also

References
  1. ABS-CBN News (August 18, 2012). "Robredo's plane crashes off Masbate". Retrieved August 18, 2012.
  2. "Robredo's ill-fated plane: Chronology of events". Inquirer News. Manila. August 19, 2012. Retrieved August 19, 2012.
  3. Jr, Juan Escandor. "Robredo was coming home to give daughter a treat". newsinfo.inquirer.net. Retrieved March 27, 2019.
  4. "Rescuers search for Robredo, 2 pilot". Phil Star. Manila. AP. August 19, 2012. Archived from the original on January 4, 2013. Retrieved August 19, 2012.
  5. "Officials still hanging on hope for DILG chief". Sun Star. Manila. August 20, 2012. Retrieved August 19, 2012.
  6. "Philippine top minister feared dead in crash". Al Jazeera. August 19, 2012. Retrieved August 20, 2012.
  7. InterAksyon (August 18, 2012). "Plane carrying Robredo crashes off Masbate". Archived from the original on August 20, 2012. Retrieved August 18, 2012.
  8. Gomez, Jim (August 19, 2012). "Search for Philippine minister after crash". The Australian. AAP. Retrieved August 19, 2012.
  9. Baquero, Elias O. (August 20, 2012). "Divers lift out plane's debris". Sun Star. Archived from the original on April 16, 2013. Retrieved August 19, 2012.
  10. "Korean divers join search for Robredo". ABS-CBN News. August 20, 2012. Retrieved August 23, 2012.
  11. "Search for missing Robredo pilots suspended". GMA News Online. Retrieved August 23, 2012.
  12. "US Navy rescue, salvage ship to help in Robredo search". Inquirer Global Nation. Retrieved August 23, 2012.
  13. LAPEÑA, CARMELA G. (August 20, 2012). "Robredo plane operator had previous crash in 2012". GMA News. Archived from the original on May 14, 2013. Retrieved August 20, 2012.
  14. "Robredo found dead". ABS-CBN News. August 20, 2012. Retrieved August 23, 2012.
  15. Soltes, Jonas C. (August 24, 2012). "Nepali's body retrieved; mission accomplished". Inquirer Southern Luzon. Retrieved August 24, 2012.
  16. "National Days of Mourning for Robredo". Rappler. Retrieved August 22, 2012.
  17. "Palace names Ochoa as temporary DILG chief". GMA News. Retrieved August 22, 2012.
  18. "Robredo plane crash traced to pilot error". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved November 16, 2012.
  19. "Pilot error, safety lapses caused Robredo plane crash – CAAP". Philippine Star. Retrieved November 16, 2012.
  20. "Caap (sic): Pilot error main cause of Robredo plane crash". Philippine Sun Star. Archived from the original on November 18, 2012. Retrieved November 16, 2012.
  21. "CAAP inspector suspended for certifying crashed Robredo plane". GMA News. Retrieved November 16, 2012.
  22. "Crash caused by "Pilot error, fraud"". The Freeman. Retrieved November 16, 2012.
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