Accident Overview
A Beechcraft C-45F aircraft, registered as PI-C622, departed Manila International Airport at approximately 0540 local time on a charter flight to Ozamis City and return. The aircraft carried a pilot and five passengers. After arriving in Ozamis, the aircraft departed for the return trip at approximately 1550 local time the same day.
Flight and Communication
At approximately 1830, the pilot established radio contact with Manila Tower and reported the aircraft's position over Batangas Province, about 60 nautical miles southwest of Manila. The flight time to Manila from that point was approximately 25 minutes. The pilot requested current weather information for Manila and vicinity, and the weather report as of 1800 was relayed. Subsequent attempts by the tower to contact the aircraft at 1900 and 1930 were unsuccessful.
Crash and Aftermath
At approximately 2030, the Manila Tower received information from the Rescue Coordinating Centre that the aircraft had crashed in a wooded area on Mount Makiling, in the Tanauan region, about 45 miles southwest of Manila. The aircraft was totally destroyed. All six occupants were killed: the pilot Paul L. Gunn; and passengers Carlos P. Romulo (son of the US Ambassador), Allen O. Gorman, Raplh L. Tover, Zane Duncan, and Harold Broad. The pilot had founded the Philippine Aerospace Development Corporation (PADC) in 1954.
Investigation and Probable Cause
The investigation board determined that the probable cause of the accident was the unsuccessful procedure of the pilot in trying to avoid the severe thunderstorm existing over the area at that time. His attempt to fly below the thunderstorm resulted in a ground collision. A contributing factor was the weather over the area which, at the time of the accident, was zero visibility and almost zero ceiling, with a high degree of turbulence, heavy rain, and lightning. The board also noted that even if the right engine had been feathered at an altitude of 1,500 feet over the vicinity, the aircraft could still have climbed. No factual findings regarding airframe or engine maintenance were found to have contributed to the crash. The board concluded that the circumstances surrounding the accident were most likely due to the weather, with the pilot flying low to get under the overcast.