History of Flight
On July 28, 2019, at approximately 1500H local time, a Cessna 152 with registry RP-C3604, owned and operated by OMNI Aviation Corporation, took off from Baler Airport in Aurora Province. The aircraft was on a flight training mission bound for OMNI Aerodrome in Clark, Pampanga, with a student pilot as the sole occupant. The aircraft was part of a group of five aircraft that had flown from Clark to Baler earlier that day. After a lunch stop, the pilots prepared for the return flight. RP-C3604 was the first to depart, followed by four other aircraft.
Disappearance
According to the OMNI Aviation GPS tracker, after takeoff RP-C3604 headed toward Sabang Beach, then turned to an approximate heading of 250 degrees, climbing to about 3,800 feet. The GPS signal ceased at approximately 1527H. At 1533H (0733 UTC), the Philippine Aeronautical Rescue and Coordination Center (PARCC) received a signal from the aircraft's Emergency Locator Transmitter (ELT). Search and rescue operations were initiated immediately, involving the Philippine Air Force, Philippine Army, Philippine Coast Guard, Wilderness Search and Rescue, Volunteer Mountaineers, K9 units, and local government units. The search continued for three weeks before being suspended on July 28, 2020. As of the report's publication, the aircraft and the student pilot remain missing.
Communication and Witness Accounts
Companion pilots reported that after departure, radio conversations indicated RP-C3604 was heading to Sabang Beach while others took a different route. At one point, another pilot asked RP-C3604 why it was still at Sabang Beach and advised it to follow. Subsequent attempts to contact RP-C3604 on frequencies 121.9 and 135.7 received no response. The other four aircraft returned safely to OMNI Aerodrome.
Investigation Findings
The investigation was conducted by the Aircraft Accident Investigation and Inquiry Board (AAIIB) of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines. The aircraft was a Cessna 152 (serial number 15281408) with a Lycoming O-235-L2C engine and a Sensenich propeller. It had a total time of 10,529 hours as of July 28, 2019. The student pilot held a private pilot license with 126+37 hours of total flight time. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time. The aircraft was equipped with operational VHF radios and was conducting the flight under Visual Flight Rules. No wreckage or impact information was available, and no other damage was reported. The cause of the occurrence could not be determined due to the missing aircraft.