The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines said that an aerial search is still needed to confirm if the debris of an aircraft found in Mayon Volcano belongs to the Cessna plane that went missing last weekend.
In an interview with CAAP spokesperson Eric Apolonio, the official said that they are still taking additional steps so that rescuers will be allowed to go to Mayon since the volcano is still under Alert Level 2.
“Weather permits, ‘yung aerial search ang maganda para ma-identify dahil sa litratong lumabas, ‘yung tail end naman, intact pa so makikita ‘yung tail number,” Apolonio said.
Apolonio added that they have to verify if indeed it was the missing Cessna plane because rescuers will have to trek 6.000 feet above for the operation.
Apolonio said there were cases of mistaken crash sites. The CAAP official however noted that the transponder of the missing aircraft was last detected within the supposed crash site.
Authorities are also investigating how the plane entered a no fly zone and why it was not able to send an emergency signal.
On Saturday, CAAP said Bicol International Airport air traffic control lost contact with a Cessna 340 airplane carrying four people, including the pilot, crew, and two passengers.
