What happened
On the afternoon of the accident, Flight AM101 was operating a scheduled domestic service departing from Manila International Airport. The aircraft departed at 15:05 hours and was traveling toward Legaspi. At 16:40 hours, the crew established communication with Legaspi Radio, reporting their position approximately seven minutes northwest of the airfield while requesting local weather and landing updates.
During the approach, the flight crew received several weather updates regarding wind speed, visibility, and cloud ceilings. At 17:07 hours, the pilots inquired about existing traffic in the circuit and were notified that no other aircraft were present. Shortly after 17:15 hours, witnesses heard an aircraft, believed to be AM101, approaching from the south, though visibility of the plane was limited.
As the flight prepared for arrival, the crew requested updated wind and visibility data. At 17:18 hours, the aircraft was observed executing a turn toward Runway 24. The landing roll began with a two-wheel touchdown approximately 300 meters past the runway threshold, with the tail wheel remaining elevated. Witnesses noted an unusually high speed during this rollout. Before the tail wheel could touch the ground, the pilot applied full power, causing the aircraft to become airborne again.
While at an altitude of roughly 200 feet, the aircraft entered a sharp left-hand turn. During this maneuver, the plane struck the top of a tree and subsequently collided with a building situated two miles southwest of Legaspi Airport. The accident resulted in two fatalities (both pilots) and several injuries among the other passengers and crew.
Findings
The investigation concluded that the aircraft experienced a power stall while performing a tight turn at an altitude too low to allow for a recovery.