BY Victor Reyes and Raymond Africa
THREE foreigners and a Filipino cheated death when their light training plane crash landed on the waters near the coastline of Barangay Sinunuc in Zamboanga City yesterday morning.
A report from the Western Mindanao Police Regional Office identified the four as Surayam Khanal, 28, a student pilot from Nepal; Jyothis John Pulinthanam, 27, the plane’s captain from India; Jemy Chacko Domen, 34, a flight instructor from India; and Razel Dulay, 27, a mechanic from Dumaguete City.
The Philippine Coast Guard turned over the four, all in good condition, to the Civil Aviation Authority for “further assistance and investigation about the incident.”
Initial investigation showed the Piper Seneca plane with tail number RPC-834 took off at the Zamboanga City airport at around 9:20 a.m. bound for Dumaguete City. Residents later saw the plane losing control, apparently due to an engine malfunction, and crashed into the waters near the coastline of Barangay Sinunuc.
The four managed to quickly get out of the plane even before rescue teams arrived and were helped to safety by local residents.
After receiving information about the emergency landing, the PCG deployed aluminum boats and alerted its Special Operations Group and Marine Environmental Protection teams to render assistance.
“When the PCG (personnel) arrived, the victims were already at the shoreline,” the PCG said, adding the PCG promptly extended assistance to the four and secured the site.
“When the PCG rescue teams arrived at the incident area, said private plane was already on the water approximately six feet depth and six meters away from the shoreline of Barangay Sinunuc,” the PCG added.
Citing information from the pilot, the PCG said the plane’s left engine malfunctioned a few minutes after takeoff.
The PCG said it laid an oil spill boom at the site as a precautionary measure as the private plane had tank full of gas when it took off.
