Report: 2 killed in Pampanga light plane crash

Two people were reported killed after a single-engine Cessna training plane crashed in Magalang town in Pampanga province Friday night. The plane’s passengers included a Malaysian flying student and a Filipino instructor, according to a report on dzBB radio early Saturday. The report cited witnesses who said the airplane’s engine stalled in mid-air before crashing in Sitio Talimundok in Magalang town. Witnesses also said they noticed the plane was flying very low, the dzBB report added. Civil aviation authorities are investigating the incident, even as they cited an initial record check showing the plane belonged to Omni Aviation Corporation based in Clark Field, Pampanga. In a report, Captain Amado Soliman, OIC of the the Aircraft Accident Investigation Board of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (AAIB-CAAP) was quoted as saying the single-engine Cessna 152 plane was on a training flight. Soliman said an initial investigation showed there was no distress call received by Omni Aviation or by the control tower base in Pampanga. Soliman said AAIB-CAAP will check the flight and maintenance records of the plane and will likewise interview possible witness to determine the cause of the incident. A separate report on dzXL radio said the incident occurred past 8 p.m. Friday. — LBG, GMA News