Training aircraft goes down in Iba, 4 passengers safe

A training aircraft went down in Iba, Zambales on Friday morning.

According to the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP), all four passengers are safe and conscious and undergoing medical evaluation.

The PNP Aviation Security Group said the Cessna plane left the airport in Iba at 8:57 a.m.

It went down in an agricultural area in Purok 4, Sitio Corocan, Barangay Lipay-Dingin-Panibutan.

The pilot and flight instructor, and the three student pilots were brought to the President Ramon Magsaysay Memorial Hospital.

The incident is now under investigation by the Aircraft Accident Investigation and Inquiry Board (AIIB).

CAAP has also suspended for seven days all flight training operations of Topflite Academy of Aviation Inc. (TAAI) following the incident involving one of its aircraft.

''The flight instructor and student pilots involved have also been administratively grounded to ensure the independence of the investigation being conducted by the AIIB,'' the CAAP said in statement, adding TAAI’s quality manager, safety manager, flight instructor, student pilots, and other relevant personnel had been asked to explain the incident. –NB/VBL, GMA Integrated News