Chemtrad BN2 missing in Philippines

[ecureilx]

Does anybody have any news on this ?

Looks like the Presidential 412 that went missing around the same time was located within days, and the BN2 seems to have disappeared.

Anybody who has info on the Chemtrad BN2, or if they had any ELT/GPS ?

[buskoto]

The Islander was RP-C764. ELT? Doubt it. In genav, that's one of the most overlooked bits of equipment. One big reason why the Bell 412 (RP-C1946) was found immediately was because of its ELT signal (on top of eyewitnesses who saw the helo fly over and heard the crash seconds later).

[Sharpie]

The carriage of ELT or similar, should be mandatory on all GA type aircraft, fixed or rotary wing in all countries such as PNG, outback Oz, Indonesia, RP, Thailand etc.

One unit that comes to mind, but only manually operated I think is the SPOT Tracker, gps/satellite unit for $200. Cheap if it saves lives. For info.

SPOT SATELLITE MESSENGER :: HOME PAGE (http://www.findmespot.com)

[Orangputi]

Any news on the islander have they located it yet?

[ecureilx]

No news yet :confused::confused:

Bit scary, cos I flew on the BN 2 of Cyclone Air, based in the same airport ...

Atleast the Cyclone air BN had moving map GPS mounted on the center of the console and the pilots were very thorough in their inspection.

[Orangputi]

Thanks for your information sounds quite desperate. If anyone finds anything out let us know.

Cheers Orangputi

[ecureilx]

Well, to be honest, bit sad .. because I spent a day watching the cyclone air planes and the flying school planes in Tugegerao. And in Batanes, I was spotting the Chemtrad BN2s arriving and departing.

And it is more closer, because I was planning to fly the Chemtrad to Batanes and switched to Cyclone air at the last moment.

While I do believe that the Chemtrad planes are old, to the extent I was wondering how old the BN2 I spotted in Tugegerao, registered RP-C27, considering the tail number.

When I worked with Russian crew previously, the Russian Mi-17 crew, who were on private charter hire, insisted they don the survival kits, and demonstrated how use the emergency survival kits, like strobes, even when we were carrying cargo.

The pilot commented that in Siberia, you can be lost and never be found for days, and that instilled the seriousness of flying in bad weather, even when they were flying in much sunny climates.

During my short domestic travels in Philippines, I have only noticed safety stricter only on 19 seats or larger aircraft.

Maybe time for authorities to move in and enforce ELT or PLBs on smaller planes, which fly VFR. Or GPS locators. When the average man on the street can afford to buy Sat Phones, it is sad that GA is not taking safety much more seriously. And a simple sat phone would have atleast helped broadcast an approx location if they were out of Radio coverage.

Atleast a simple 500$ homing device would have helped avoid the agony of those who lost their loved ones and the roller-coaster emotions they may be undergoing - looks like the Adam-Air plane that disappeared and there were reports of people alive and dead and alive and dead, till all turned up dead.

I wonder if somebody checked the Weight-balance to see the missing plane's OEI performance in mountain area, and traced back the pilot's flight path, in case they were forced to fly at a lower altitude.

Makes it harder, when the President's 412 was found so fast, the BN2 is still listed as missing.

Something from ABS-CBN:
Kin of missing Chemtrad plane's passengers ask US help

abs-cbnNEWS.com | 04/12/2009 8:00 PM
The families of the seven people on board the Chemtrad plane that has been missing for 11 days in a highly forested town of Isabela province urged the government Sunday to ask the United States to help in the search operations.

"Hindi na tama. Sobrang tagal na. It only lessens our hope na may survivors pa. Palagi nilang sinasabi na mahirap i-rescue (It's not right. [The search] is taking too long. It only lessens our hope that there are survivors. They (authorities) are always saying it's difficult to rescue [the seven passengers])," Maria Corazon Ramirez Yañez, wife of Captain Tomas Yañez.

Yañez was the pilot of the Chemtrad light plane with tail number 764 that went missing after taking off the Tuguegarao Airport on April 2. It was supposed to land in Maconacon town.

With Yañez were his co-pilot Capt. Reiner Ruiz, Senior Police Officer 2 Rolly Castaños, who was on an official police mission; Celestino Salacup, Abelardo Baggay, Joel Basilio, and James Bakilan.

The families of the seven passengers were brought by the authorities to Tuguegarao City before the Holy Week while several teams were looking for the wreckage of the light plane.

Marishel Ruiz fears her child will not be able to see her husband -- Captain Ruiz -- again.

"Hinahanap siya ng anak namin. Hindi ko na alam ang sasabihin ko (Our child has been asking for him. I don't know what to say anymore)," Ruiz said.

Ruiz and the other relatives of the passengers, however, said they were still hopeful the victims will still be found alive.

Chief Superintendent Roberto Damian, Cagayan Valley police regional office director, said they have stopped using the Philippine Air Force's air assets in searching for the light plane's wreckage because of bad weather conditions.

Damian, however, said the ground search for the missing plane has not stopped. The search started a day after the plane was reported missing.

Several tracker teams from at least four towns in Isabela province are involved in the search.

The families of the seven passengers said the government should ask for the US government's help in searching for the plane, just like what it did to be able to locate the Bell 412 presidential helicopter that crash landed in Ifugao province last Tuesday while carrying eight people, including the closest aids of President Arroyo.

The US government sent a US CH-46 Sea Knight helicopter to help locate the missing presidential chopper. The US aircraft also helped in the extraction of the bodies of the eight passengers of the ill-fated presidential chopper. With a report from Cecille Lardizabal, ABS-CBN News

[Sharpie]

Pilots operating over or within inhospitable terrain such as where these two aircraft went missing, should demand that the operator they fly for, fit their aircraft with impact activated ELT units.

Satfone, some ELT and the SPOT unit that I mentioned earlier rely on someone to activate or use them. Ok if you are alive.

In nearly every accident in PNG over the 37 years that I flew there, where a MAYDAY had not been sent, the aircraft had impacted terrain during flight in inclement weather. Invariably no survivors to manually activate a distress beacon of any sort.

I recommend that aircrew agitate the authorities as well as the operator to fit an impact activated unit. At least the wreckage and survivors can be found quicker than that currently.

Condolences to all.

[ecureilx]

let's hope and pray somebody survived.

I am not familiar with the terrain around that area, but wonder if it will take more than 7 days to find traces, unless they overshot and flew into the sea. :( :(

[twotters]

Condolence to the families and friends.

During my IND and PNG time as well as LAOS time we had ELTs on board as standard equipment with automatic release in case of crash. They were working on 121.5 and 243.0.

Since mid 2008 we are carry the the Beacons | Home (http://www.beacons.org.nz/) COSPAT SARSAT 406 MHz becons and we are AOG according to company rules if this unit is INOP. English Index Page (http://www.cospas-sarsat.org/MainPages/indexEnglish.htm)

Seems to be pretty reliable but a bit on the expensive side. Is our life not worth it?

The Philippines are not even a member! Participating Countries (http://www.cospas-sarsat.org/Management/participatingCountries.htm)

[icarus2014]

April seemed to be a critical month for aviation in the Philippines. Recalling the loss of Air Philippines flight 541 in 19 April 2000, which crashed in Davao, a string of similar accidents tend to consume one or two aircrafts during the month of the year. I was still on flight training way back in April 2004 at Plaridel when my buddy in the training and our flight instructor crashed upon take-off aboard the PNP's C150G about 1600H the same day of the month (19). Whereas there's no scientific ground to this tragic events, it is worth considering sometimes when all the bits of flying technology and flight experience tantamounts to nothing when one's time comes. I still have high hopes though that despite the hopeless search, survivors may come out afterwards. Having been a colleague of the co-pilot whom I know is a seasoned pilot in his own right flying another Islander type, the BN2A-21 as a Command Pilot for years at the Southern part of the Philippines, I knew that there may be a glimmer of chance left unless they see parts of the lost airplane in wreckage. It is in this juncture when all means had been tried and proved futile that every God-fearing human being should turn to prayer to take charge of the matter.

[ecureilx]

Missing Chemtrad plane found in Cagayan

By Brigette Mayor, ABS-CBN News Cagayan Valley | 04/14/2009
Authorities on Tuesday confirmed that the wreckage of the 10-seater Chemtrad plane which was missing since April 2 has been found.

Chief Superintendent Roberto Damian, Region 2 police chief, said that ground search teams found the light plane Tuesday early afternoon along the slope of a heavily-vegetated area in Sitio Bayang in Barangay San Miguel in Baggao in Cagayan.
"Meron na nga daw nakita and ‘yong ground seachers na nandoon, sinabi nga ng native na kasama namin ‘yong place kanina and tomorrow mag-resume and search and retrieval operation," said Damian.
The team that found the light plane consisted mostly of relatives of the passengers of the plane.
Peter Malidom, one of the relatives of the passengers of the ill-fated plane in the search team, said they found the plane a total wreck and there were no survivors.

Two helicopters of the Tactical Operations Group of the Philippine Air Force based in Cauayan City flew over the crash site late Tuesday afternoon
Lt. Col. Isias Espino said that strong winds and the lack of a landing zone however prevented the choppers from getting to the ground.

The Air Force choppers are now back in Tuguegarao City and will reportedly resume retrieval operation early Wednesday morning.

The Chemtrad Islander RPC 764 left Tuguegarao City airport last April 2 but never reached its destination which was Maconacon town in Isabela province.

The pilot of the ill-fated plane was Capt. Tomas Z. Yanez and his co-pilot was Capt. Reiner Ruiz The passengers of the plane were Provincial Board Member Abelardo Baggay, Senior Police Officer 2 Rolly Castanos, Celestino Salacup, Joel Basilio and James Bakilan.

Relatives of the fatalities of the ill-fated light plane were inconsolable on hearing the report. They said that however that news that the plane has been found is also a welcome news after 10 days of waiting.
"Masakit man dahil kami pa mismong mga kamag-anak ang nakahanap… pero at least nakita na," said Ariette Dammog

[ecureilx]

Chemtrad plane rescue volunteers getting sick

abs-cbnNEWS.com | 04/16/2009 5:28 PM

Two of the eleven volunteers securing an area in Baggao town in Cagayan province, where a 10-seater Chemtrad plane crashed have become ill because of lack of food and the stench coming from the ill-fated aircraft.

Captain Manny Baradas, Chemtrad Aviation owner and president, said once rescue teams reach the crash site in Bararangay San Miguel, the sick volunteers will be immediately airlifted.

Baradas said the volunteers have been at the crash site for three days already.

Rescue and retrieval teams spotted the crash site Wednesday, but failed to land because of bad weather and harsh terrain.

The Chemtrad plane left Tuguegarao airport last April 2, but failed to reach its destination in Maconacon town, Isabela province. The plane had two pilots and five passengers, who have been confirmed dead by the rescuers.

Authorities said a helicopter being used for the rescue effort will again try to land at the crash site on Friday for the retrieval of the passengers' remains.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Foul odor hampers retrieval of bodies from ill-fated Chemtrad plane
04/20/2009 | 11:09 AM

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MANILA, Philippines - Foul odor coming from decomposing bodies of passengers of a plane that crashed in the jungles of northern province of Cagayan more than two weeks ago has prevented retrievers from getting near the wreckage.

Region 2 police director Chief Supt. Roberto Damian said low cloud cover and intermittent rains have also hampered retrieval operations, but the bodies are expected to be airlifted Monday afternoon or as soon as the weather clears out.

Damian said ground search teams who have requested for face masks, reported that the victim’s remains are emitting very foul odor.

Additional equipment and supplies were dropped to retrievers at the crash site at 7:15 a.m. Monday.

The chartered plane of Chemtrad Aviation took off on April 2 from Tuguegarao Airport en route to Isabela’s coastal town of Maconacon with seven passengers including the pilot and a co-pilot. - Floro Taguinod, GMANews.TV

[Sharpie]

Have a look at Spidertracks - Home (http://www.spidertracks.com)

Another tracking system for aircraft that can be used from the ops office providing real-time information to the whereabouts of the aircraft, on track or whatever.

Great stuff and years ago used similar on the company's security vehicles where I could observe where they had been, which road they were on and at what speed.

All light aircraft operating over inhospitable terrain should be fitted, very cost efective when compared to that of an air/ground search.