Too soon to rule out foul play, says DOTC

..It is too soon to rule out foul play in the crash that killed Local Government secretary Jesse Robredo and his two pilots, the Department of Transportation and Communications said. In a statement, the DOTC, where the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines is attached, said that until the CAAP finished its investigation, any statement would be speculative. "The inquiry is ongoing and until the Special Investigation Committee have carefully and systematically examined every parts of the plane wreckage, collated and evaluated all relevant statements culled from thorough interviews of all individuals and organizations involved in the accident, only can we issue official findings," it said. This came after reports that the CAAP already ruled out foul play based on the initial results of its investigation. CAAP deputy director general Capain John Andrews told the Congressional Oversight Committee on the CAAP on Monday that the crash was an accident. As of Tuesday, the CAAP Aircraft Accident Investigation and Inquiry Board was inspecting the engines of the Piper Seneca plane that crashed last month with Robredo and pilots Jessup Bahinting and Kshitiz Chand on board. "The remarks made by Capt. John Andrews were unauthorized albeit elicited from a joint Congressional committee hearing to look into the cause of the accident. They are mere possible theories and not the result of a complete, impartial and thorough probe of the Special Investigation Committee created by DOTC right after the fatal plane crash," DOTC said. DOTC said the investigation into the plane crash will continue and that it will come out with an official report once it is done. ..