LEGAZPI CITY — A private plane carrying at least six personnel of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) made an emergency landing on Wednesday at the runway of the Bicol International Airport (BIA) in Barangay Alobo, Daraga town in Albay, the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) said.
Erick Apolonio, CAAP spokesperson, in a phone interview, said all the six passengers are safe.
Police Chief Insp. Arthur Gomez, PNP Albay spokesperson, said the incident occured around 12:30 a.m. when a Gulfstream G200 carrying the BSP personnel lost control after being hit by sudden strong wind. The pilot then decided to land at the BIA runway.
Gomez identified the plane pilot as Capt. Jun Pangilinan, who, during initial investigation, refused to reveal details of the emergency landing, citing confidentiality. Pangilinan added that the full report would be submitted to their superior.
Apolonio, when asked of the possible cause of the emergency landing, said the CAAP will still conduct an investigation into it.
Marlyn Paje, BSP Deputy Director, in a statement issued to PNA said, “The plane is not BSP’s but chartered by the bank to bring important documents in the branch. It is actually a confidential mission, hence I can’t disclose much information.”
The plane was reportedly about to land at the Legazpi Domestic Airport when, due to the sudden wind drop that hit the aircraft, the pilot decided to land at the 2.5-kilometer runway which is still undergoing construction. (PNA)
