On March 17, 1957, a
Douglas C-47 Skytrain
The Douglas C-47 Skytrain or Dakota ( RAF designation) is a military transport aircraft developed from the civilian Douglas DC-3 airliner. It was used extensively by the Allies during World War II. During the war the C-47 was used for tro ...
transport aircraft crashed on the slopes of
Mount Manunggal
Mount Manunggal is the third-highest peak in the island of Cebu after Osmena Peak and Lugsangan Peak. It is located in Barangay Magsaysay in Balamban, Cebu province, rising above sea level. It is the site of the crash of the presidential plane ...
on the island of
Cebu
Cebu ( ; ), officially the Province of Cebu (; ), is a province of the Philippines located in the Central Visayas region, and consists of a main island and 167 surrounding islands and islets. The coastal zone of Cebu is identified as a ...
, Philippines, killing 25 of the aircraft's 26 occupants, including the incumbent
president of the Philippines
The president of the Philippines (, sometimes referred to as ) is the head of state, head of government and chief executive of the Philippines. The president leads the executive branch of the Philippine government and is the commander-in-ch ...
,
Ramon Magsaysay
Ramon del Fierro Magsaysay Sr. (August 31, 1907 – March 17, 1957) was a Filipino statesman who served as the seventh President of the Philippines, from December 30, 1953, until his death in an 1957 Cebu Douglas C-47 crash, aircraft disast ...
. Several high-ranking Philippine government officials, military officials, and journalists were also among the dead. The sole survivor was a reporter for the ''Philippine Herald'',
Nestor Mata.
At the time of his death, President Magsaysay, a
Nacionalista
The Nacionalista Party (Filipino language, Filipino and Spanish language in the Philippines, Spanish: ''Partido Nacionalista''; , NP) is a political party in the Philippines which is the oldest existing party in the country and in Southeast Asi ...
, was widely popular and was expected to easily win re-election in
the presidential elections to be held in November 1957.
[
]
Aircraft and crew
The aircraft involved in the crash was a newly reconditioned twin engine C-47A-75-DL Skytrain, which was operated by the Philippine Air Force and served as the official presidential plane of Magsaysay. The plane had been newly purchased with less than 100 hours of logged flight.[ It had a crew of five, all officers of the Philippine Air Force led by the pilot, ]Major
Major most commonly refers to:
* Major (rank), a military rank
* Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits
* People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames
* Major and minor in musi ...
Florencio Pobre, 37.
The plane was named ''Mt. Pinatubo'', after a long-inactive volcano then best known as the tallest mountain in Magsaysay's home province of Zambales
Zambales, officially the Province of Zambales (; ; ; ; ), is a Provinces of the Philippines, province in the Philippines located in the Central Luzon Regions of the Philippines, region. Its capital is Iba, Zambales, Iba, which is located in t ...
. Mount Pinatubo, which had been dormant since the 14th century, later became active in 1991 and produced the second-largest terrestrial eruption of the 20th century, leaving over 800 people dead.
Background
On March 16, 1957, President Ramon Magsaysay
Ramon del Fierro Magsaysay Sr. (August 31, 1907 – March 17, 1957) was a Filipino statesman who served as the seventh President of the Philippines, from December 30, 1953, until his death in an 1957 Cebu Douglas C-47 crash, aircraft disast ...
was at Cebu City
Cebu City, officially the City of Cebu, is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, highly urbanized city in the Central Visayas region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 964,169 people, making ...
, where he arrived at 3:45p.m. PHT aboard his C-47 Mount Pinatubo plane for a series of speaking engagements in the city later that day. He visited former President Sergio Osmeña
Sergio Osmeña Sr. (, ; zh, c=吳文釗, poj=Gô͘ Bûn-chiau; September 9, 1878 – October 19, 1961) was a Filipino people, Filipino lawyer and politician who served as the List of presidents of the Philippines, fourth president of the Ph ...
at his home and later spoke at a convention of USAFFE
United States Army Forces in the Far East (USAFFE) ( Filipino: ''Hukbong Katihan ng Estados Unidos sa Malayong Silangan''; Spanish: ''Fuerzas del Ejército de los Estados Unidos en el Lejano Oriente'') was a military formation of the United St ...
veterans and the commencement exercises at the University of the Visayas
The University of the Visayas (UV) is a private institution located in Cebu City, Philippines. It is the first school in the province of Cebu to attain university status.
History
Vicente Gullas (1898–1970) founded the University of the Visa ...
, the Southwestern College and at the University of San Carlos
The University of San Carlos (USC or colloquially San Carlos) is a private, Catholic, research, coeducational basic and higher education institution administered by the Philippine Southern Province of the Society of the Divine Word missionarie ...
, respectively. At the University of the Visayas, he was conferred an honorary Doctorate of Laws. In the evening, he attended a party at the home of Cebu City mayor Sergio Osmeña Jr. He left for Lahug Airport and boarded his plane shortly before midnight, sent off at the airport by a group led by the mayor's father, former President Sergio Osmeña
Sergio Osmeña Sr. (, ; zh, c=吳文釗, poj=Gô͘ Bûn-chiau; September 9, 1878 – October 19, 1961) was a Filipino people, Filipino lawyer and politician who served as the List of presidents of the Philippines, fourth president of the Ph ...
.
Accident
The aircraft took off from Lahug Airport in Cebu City for Nichols Field near Manila
Manila, officially the City of Manila, is the Capital of the Philippines, capital and second-most populous city of the Philippines after Quezon City, with a population of 1,846,513 people in 2020. Located on the eastern shore of Manila Bay on ...
, around away, at 1:00a.m. PHT, Sunday, March 17. The weather was fine and the ceiling unlimited with low broken clouds and a bright moon.[ Eyewitnesses on the ground observed that the airplane had not gained enough altitude as it approached the mountain ranges in Balamban.][ At 1:17a.m. PHT, the plane radioed Malacañang, to have the President met at Nichols Field at around 3:15 a.m.] This communication was the last ever conveyed by the plane.
Concerns arose after Magsaysay's plane failed to arrive at Nichols Field on schedule. By breakfast time, First Lady Luz Magsaysay and the Magsaysay family were informed that the plane had gone missing.[ An all-out air and sea search was instituted by the ]Armed Forces of the Philippines
The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) () are the military forces of the Philippines. It consists of three main service branches; the Philippine Army, Army, the Philippine Air Force, Air Force, and the Philippine Navy, Navy (including the P ...
, with the assistance of the United States Air Force
The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...
and Navy
A navy, naval force, military maritime fleet, war navy, or maritime force is the military branch, branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral z ...
.[ The search had initially focused on the sea, as much of the flight route was over the ocean.][ The news had also spread throughout ]Manila
Manila, officially the City of Manila, is the Capital of the Philippines, capital and second-most populous city of the Philippines after Quezon City, with a population of 1,846,513 people in 2020. Located on the eastern shore of Manila Bay on ...
and the rest of the Philippines, people weeping openly upon hearing of the missing flight.[
In the mid-afternoon of March 17, a local town official in Cebu announced that the plane had crashed on the slopes of Mount Manunggal, in Balamban, Cebu, approximately northwest of Cebu City.][ Several local residents had heard the crash and discovered the flaming wreckage of the plane earlier that morning. They discovered one survivor, Nestor Mata, a reporter with the ''Philippine Herald'' newspaper, whom they transported down the mountain. Mata, who suffered second- and third-degree burns, estimated that the plane had crashed around 1:40a.m.][ There were no other survivors. Military rescuers arrived at the crash site the following day, March 18. The body of President Magsaysay was identified by his brother Jesus through his wristwatch and later confirmed by dental records.] His body was charred and "beyond recognition", according to a report by National Defense
National security, or national defence (national defense in American English), is the security and defence of a sovereign state, including its citizens, economy, and institutions, which is regarded as a duty of government. Originally conceived ...
Undersecretary Jose Crisol to Press Secretary Jose V. Cruz at 12:35p.m. It was determined that at the time of the crash, Magsaysay had been inside his special cabin, located just behind the cockpit.[
Within hours after the official identification of President Magsaysay's body, ]Vice President
A vice president or vice-president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vi ...
Carlos P. Garcia was sworn in as the 8th President of the Philippines
The president of the Philippines (, sometimes referred to as ) is the head of state, head of government and chief executive of the Philippines. The president leads the executive branch of the Philippine government and is the commander-in-ch ...
. At the time of the crash, Garcia had been in Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
, attending a conference of the SEATO.[
]
Passengers
In addition to President Magsaysay and Mata, the plane carried 24 others, including former Senator
A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or Legislative chamber, chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the Ancient Rome, ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior ...
Tomas Cabili, a hero of the guerrilla resistance movement during World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
; Gregorio Hernandez Jr., Secretary of Education
An education ministry is a national or subnational government agency politically responsible for education. Various other names are commonly used to identify such agencies, such as Ministry of Education, Department of Education, and Ministry of Pub ...
; Representative Pedro Lopez of Cebu's 2nd district; and General
A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry.
In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...
Benito Ebuen (1912–1957), commanding general of the Philippine Air Force.[ Also on board was former Olympian Felipe Nunag, then serving as an aide-de-camp to Magsaysay. The other passengers included various civilian and military aides to the President and three journalists.
]
Investigation
There were initial speculations that sabotage had caused the plane crash.[ Magsaysay had first come into prominence when as Secretary of Defense during the Quirino administration, he had led the fight against the communist-inspired insurgency of the ]Hukbalahap
The Hukbong Bayan Laban sa Hapon (), better known by the acronym Hukbalahap, was a Filipino communist guerrilla movement formed by the farmers of Central Luzon. They were originally formed to fight the Japanese, but extended their fight int ...
movement.[ However, no evidence emerged to support the theory of sabotage. On April 27, 1957, the chief of the Philippine Constabulary, General Manuel F. Cabal, testified before a Senate committee that the crash had been caused by ]metal fatigue
In materials science, fatigue is the initiation and propagation of cracks in a material due to cyclic loading. Once a fatigue crack has initiated, it grows a small amount with each loading cycle, typically producing striation (fatigue), striati ...
, which had broken a drive shaft that caused a power failure on board the plane shortly after takeoff. He added that while the plane was gaining altitude, the spindle drive shaft of the right engine carburetor had snapped.
See also
* 2012 Philippines Piper Seneca crash
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cebu Douglas C-47 Crash
Aviation accidents and incidents in 1957
Aviation accidents and incidents in the Philippines
Accidents and incidents involving the Douglas C-47 Skytrain
Accidents and incidents involving military aircraft
Aviation accidents and incidents involving state leaders
History of Cebu
Military history of the Philippines
1957 in the Philippines
March 1957 in Asia
1957 disasters in the Philippines
Ramon Magsaysay