CAMOTES ISLAND, Cebu - A twin-seater Cessna-152 trainer plane conked out 2,500 meters in the air and crash-landed into a lake in San Franciso town, this island, yesterday morning. The light aircraft was on a training mission from Ormoc, Leyte to Mactan, Cebu and was forced to land in the shoreline of Lake Danao after its engine lost power 15 minutes after takeoff. The aircraft, with registry number RP-C4221, is owned by Aviatour Flight School, and was piloted by Captain John Almiro when the incident happened shortly after 10am yesterday. On board with Almiro was Alau Ali, a Yemeni national, who is a student of the flying school.
Aviatour is one of the biggest internationally accredited aviation schools in the country. According to the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP), the control tower at the Ormoc airport received an emergency call from Capt. Almiro at 10:10 am informing them that his aircraft has lost power. A search and rescue team was immediately dispatched to help locate the disabled aircraft and its passengers. The CAAP's Operations and Rescue Coordinating Center (ORCC) said the experienced pilot was able to safely glide the aircraft down towards the narrow shoreline of lake Danao even without engine power.
The plane overturned after hitting trees and then fell into the waist-deep part of the lake. The aircraft landed safely on the beach with both passengers unhurt and aircraft sustaining no damage at all. Police said Almiro and Alau Ayi, crawled out of the plane and then walked towards land. They were later rushed to the community hospital for treatment of minor bruises.
