In August 18, 2012, a
Piper PA-34 Seneca
The Piper PA-34 Seneca is a twin-engined light aircraft, produced in the United States by Piper Aircraft. It has been in non-continuous production since 1971. The Seneca is primarily used for personal and business flying as well as multi-engine ...
light aircraft with four people on board, including Philippine Interior Secretary
Jesse Robredo
Jesus "Jesse" Manalastas Robredo (; ; May 27, 1958 – August 18, 2012) was a Filipino politician who served as 23rd Secretary of the Interior and Local Government in the administration of President Benigno Aquino III from 2010 until his deat ...
, crashed in the sea near the island province of
Masbate
Masbate, officially the Province of Masbate (Masbateño language, Masbateño: ''Probinsya san Masbate''; ), is an island Provinces of the Philippines, province in the Philippines located near the midsection of the nation's archipelago. Its provi ...
, Philippines, while flying from
Lapu-Lapu City
Lapu-Lapu, officially the City of Lapu-Lapu (; ), is a highly urbanized city in the Central Visayas region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 497,604 people.
It was formerly known as Opon, which was ch ...
to
Naga, Camarines Sur
Naga, officially the City of Naga (Central Bikol language, Central Bikol: ''Siyudad nin Naga''; Rinconada Bikol language, Rinconada Bikol: ''Siyudad ka Naga''; ; ), or the Pilgrim City of Naga, is an Cities of the Philippines#Legal classificat ...
. Robredo and two other occupants were killed in the accident.
Background
Interior and Local Government Secretary Robredo and his aide, Police Chief Inspector June Paolo Abrazado, were in
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 ...
to attend the National Summit of the Community Investigative Support and the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group. Robredo originally booked an airline flight from
Mactan–Cebu International Airport
Mactan–Cebu International Airport (MCIA) is the main international airport serving Metro Cebu and is the main gateway to the Central Visayas region in the Philippines. Located on a site in Lapu-Lapu City on Mactan island, it is the secon ...
to Manila, but instead
chartered an aircraft
[ to take him to Naga so he could be with his family.
]
Accident
The aircraft was a Piper PA-34-200 Seneca I, registered RP-C4431. In addition to Robredo and Abrazado there were two crew on board; the pilot who was also the CEO
A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization.
CEOs find roles in variou ...
of Aviatour Air (the company that operated the aircraft); and the co-pilot, a Nepalese national.
En route to Naga the crew of the Seneca requested an emergency landing at Masbate Airport, citing engine problems.[ At around 15:30, Abrazado sent a text message, informing the recipient that they were returning to Cebu due to a problem with one of the propellers ic][ He also asked to be re-booked for the earliest possible flight out of Mactan.][ However, at 16:02, Abrazado sent more messages, stating that the airplane was making an emergency landing at Masbate Airport.][
The airplane then crashed into the sea off the shores of ]Masbate Island
Masbate Island is the largest of three major islands of Masbate Province in the Philippines. The other two major islands are Ticao Island and Burias Island. It is the 11th-largest island in both area and population in the Philippines and the w ...
some away from the island's airport.[ Of the four people aboard the aircraft, the sole survivor, Robredo's aide, said that the airplane broke apart as it hit the water.][
]
Search and recovery
More than 200 rescuers together with Philippine military divers and helicopters started searching for the passengers after the crash.[ Assistance was also provided by Korean technical divers and a lone German diver. Additionally, the ]United States Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...
sent the USNS ''Safeguard'', a rescue and salvage ship that was undergoing repairs in a dry dock at Subic Bay
Subic Bay is a bay on the west coast of the island of Luzon in the Philippines, about northwest of Manila Bay. An extension of the South China Sea, its shores were formerly the site of a major United States Navy facility, U.S. Naval Base Subi ...
, to help.
Abrazado was then found about off the coast, along with the wreckage.[ The first part of the airplane found was the tip of the right wing.][ A flight manifest containing the name of Jesse Robredo was also found near the site of accident the next day.] On August 20, debris from the aircraft was recovered.
President
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
* President (education), a leader of a college or university
*President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment Film and television
*'' Præsident ...
Benigno Aquino went to Masbate the day after the crash to personally receive updates on the situation. He was accompanied by Transport
Transport (in British English) or transportation (in American English) is the intentional Motion, movement of humans, animals, and cargo, goods from one location to another. Mode of transport, Modes of transport include aviation, air, land tr ...
Secretary Mar Roxas
Manuel "Mar" Araneta Roxas II (; born May 13, 1957) is a Filipino politician who served as a Senator of the Philippines. He is the grandson and namesake of former Philippine President Manuel Roxas. He served in the Cabinet of the Philippines ...
, who said that special sonar equipment was also sent to aid in the search and that "we just want to do everything we can to save him obredo" Aquino also said that Abrazado was conscious and had only a few injuries.[
On August 21, Roxas announced that divers had found the inverted fuselage and that Robredo's body was brought to shore by the ]Philippine Coast Guard
The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG; ) is the third armed uniformed service of the country attached to the Philippines' Department of Transportation, tasked primarily with enforcing laws within Philippine waters, conducting maritime security ope ...
. The wreckage was some from the Masbate shoreline at a depth of about . On August 22, divers recovered a second body, later identified as that of the pilot, by raising the wreckage to a depth of . The copilot's body was retrieved by the crew of a passenger ferry the next day after it was seen floating near the crash site.
Reactions
The government called for a prayer vigil at a chapel in 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 ...
.[ The company that owns the aircraft suspended its operations without waiting for an official order.][ Following the retrieval of Robredo's remains, President Aquino declared a ]national day of mourning
A national day of mourning is a day, or one of several days, marked by mourning and memorial activities observed among the majority of a country's populace. They are designated by the national government. Such days include those marking the deat ...
and announced that a state funeral
A state funeral is a public funeral ceremony, observing the strict rules of protocol, held to honour people of national significance. State funerals usually include much pomp and ceremony as well as religious overtones and distinctive elements o ...
would be held, while flags were flown at half-mast
Half-mast or half-staff (American English) refers to a flag flying below the summit of a ship mast, a pole on land, or a pole on a building. In many countries this is seen as a symbol of respect, mourning, distress, or, in some cases, a sal ...
. Paquito Ochoa, Jr. was named to Robredo's portfolio in an interim capacity.
Investigation
President Aquino revealed details of the accident investigation and its findings during a media briefing on November 13, 2012. The investigation found that improper maintenance led to the right engine suffering an internal failure, which likely would have caused misfiring and intermittent operation of the fuel pump. The failure was gradual and the aircraft developed engine problems 23 minutes after take off. However, instead of turning back to Cebu, the pilot decided to continue the flight, until the engine failed completely 37 minutes later and the aircraft crashed during the subsequent attempt to land at Masbate. The investigation determined that the pilot didn't use the correct procedure for trying to land a Piper Seneca with one engine inoperative, in that he lowered the undercarriage and flaps too soon; and that during his last flight proficiency test he had not been tested with respect to flying with one engine inoperative.
The investigation found that the maintenance of the Seneca had been undertaken by Aviatour Air, but that the company was not authorised or approved to do so. It also found that records relating to a test flight for renewal of the aircraft's certificate of airworthiness
A standard certificate of airworthiness is a permit for commercial passenger or cargo operation, issued for an aircraft by the civil aviation authority in the state/nation in which the aircraft is registered. For other aircraft such as crop-spray ...
in January 2012 had been falsified and that the test flight never took place. An airworthiness inspector of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines
The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP, ; ) is the civil aviation authority of the Philippines and is responsible for implementing policies on civil aviation to assure safe, economic and efficient air travel. The agency also in ...
was suspended from duty as a result, pending the outcome of a separate investigation. Representatives of the pilot's family and Aviatour Air disputed the findings.
See also
* 1957 Cebu Douglas C-47 crash
On March 17, 1957, a Douglas C-47 Skytrain transport aircraft crashed on the slopes of Mount Manunggal on the island of Cebu, Philippines, killing 25 of the aircraft's 26 occupants, including the incumbent president of the Philippines, Ramon Mag ...
* 2021 Piedade de Caratinga Beechcraft King Air crash
References
External links
RP-C4431 Report
Archive
- Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines
The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP, ; ) is the civil aviation authority of the Philippines and is responsible for implementing policies on civil aviation to assure safe, economic and efficient air travel. The agency also in ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Philippines Piper Seneca Crash, 2012
Piper Seneca crash
Aviation accidents and incidents in the Philippines
Airliner accidents and incidents caused by pilot error
Airliner accidents and incidents caused by stalls
2012 disasters in the Philippines
History of Masbate
August 2012 in the Philippines