History of Flight
On November 30, 2023, at approximately 1040H local time, a Piper Aircraft Inc. PA-32-300 with registry RP-C1234 departed from Cauayan Principal Airport (RPUY) on a chartered flight to Palanan Community Airport (RPLN). The aircraft was operated by Fliteline Airways Philippines Inc. under non-scheduled commercial operations. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at departure, and a VFR flight plan was filed. The pilot did not report to the destination within the estimated time, prompting the duty air traffic controller at Cauayan to declare the aircraft missing.
Search and rescue operations were initiated by the Philippine Aeronautical Rescue Coordinating Center (PARCC) and the Regional Disaster Risk Management Council (RDRMC) Region II. Two SAR teams, comprising members of the Philippine Army and Philippine National Police, were deployed to the Sierra Madre mountain area. On December 5, 2023, a Sokol helicopter from the 505th Air Rescue Group and a civilian R44 helicopter located the wreckage at an elevation of approximately 3,800 feet AGL near Barangay Casala, San Mariano, Isabela. The crash site coordinates were 16.87170104N, 122.25588149E, with the aircraft's final heading north. Dense vegetation and undetermined terrain slope were noted.
On December 6, 2023, a SAR team reached the site. The pilot was found fatally injured and was transported to the Incident Command Center on December 8. The lone passenger was found fatally injured in a ravine several meters from the crash site the following day and was also recovered.
Injuries to Persons
| Injuries | Crew | Passengers | Others | Total | |----------|------|------------|--------|-------| | Fatal | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | | Serious | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | | Minor | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | | None | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Damage to Aircraft
The aircraft was destroyed upon impact with terrain. No other damage was reported.
Personnel Information
The pilot was a male Filipino national, born March 4, 1976. He held an Airline Transport Pilot License (ATPL) number 106378, valid until August 31, 2024. His type ratings included multi-engine land aircraft (LR40, LR35A, LR45-75) and the PA-32-301. His first-class medical certificate was valid until January 26, 2024. He had a total flight time of 9,450 hours and 24 minutes, with 10 hours and 24 minutes on the accident aircraft type.
Aircraft Information
The Piper PA-32-300, known as the Cherokee Six, is a single-engine, fixed landing gear light aircraft introduced in 1965. It is powered by a six-cylinder Lycoming engine producing 260 horsepower, with a cruise speed of 137 knots. The aircraft was limited to VFR operations only. RP-C1234 had completed its maintenance inspection for renewal prior to the accident.
Probable Cause
The investigation concluded that the probable cause of the accident was the pilot's decision to continue the flight from visual meteorological conditions into instrument meteorological conditions, which resulted in a reduced ability to visually navigate the flight and subsequently led to controlled flight into terrain.