Incident Overview
On an evening departure from Bacolod Airport at 1833 local time, an aircraft en route to Mactan encountered adverse conditions shortly after liftoff. Approximately ten minutes into the flight, the airplane collided with the terrain specifically on the slope of Mt Kanlaon, which is situated 34 kilometers southeast of the origin airport.
Environmental and Operational Context
At the time of the impact, the weather was poor, characterized by low clouds that necessitated instrument-based navigation for safe flight operations. Despite these conditions, the crew had elected to operate the aircraft under Visual Flight Rules (VFR). This decision meant they were flying in Instrument Meteorological Conditions (IMC) without the requisite reliance on instruments for spatial orientation, a critical factor in the sequence of events leading to the collision with controlled low-level terrain.
Outcome and Recovery
The impact resulted in the total loss of the aircraft. Search and rescue teams located the wreckage several hours after the incident was reported. The accident proved fatal for everyone on board, claiming the lives of all 21 occupants, including both crew members and passengers.