Bad weather condition hampers retrieval of Cessna 206 passengers' remains

MANILA -- The Isabela Incident Management Team is faced with challenging terrain and unfavorable weather while they retrieve the remains of the pilot and five passengers of the ill-fated Cessna 206.

On March 9, the Isabela PDRRMO estimated it would take three days to retrieve the bodies. Four days later, the retrieval team is asking for more time.

The wreckage was found at an area tagged as 'Site Delta' at Barangay Ditarum, a mountainous and forested part of Divilacan, Isabela. The site is around 30 kilometers from the bay and within the 20-km radius of Maconacon community airport.

The Isabela Incident Management Team has been scouring the 20-km radius for forty-three days, right after Cessna 206 was declared missing after it took off at Cauayan Airport. The aircraft, carrying six individuals, was supposed to land at Maconacon, but they never made it.

The wreckage was found at ‘Site Delta’ at Brgy Ditarum - a mountainous & forested part of Divilacan, Isabela; around 30km from the bay & w/in the 20-km radius of Maconacon airport.

Cessna 206 was supposed to land at Maconacon Jan 24.

📸Isabela IMT pic.twitter.com/V15rWyikJG

— Jacque Manabat (@jacquemanabat) March 12, 2023

The retrieval team brought the bodies of the pilot and passengers to Divilacan proper past noon on Sunday, March 12. The fastest and easiest way to bring them to Cauayan, Isabela, is on board a chopper. The helicopters of the Philippine Air Force of the Tactical Operations Group have been on standby since they found the crash site.

• Rescuers still transporting 6 bodies from Isabela plane crash

"The choppers of the Philippine Air Force through TOG2 are on standby alert, waiting for clear skies in the route going to Divilacan proper for the extraction of the cadavers." Isabela Incident Management Team said.

"The weather condition is still a challenge. We are hoping for better and clearer skies tomorrow," they added.

A part of the Philippine Air Force headquarters in Cauayan has been set up to accommodate the bodies and transport them to a funeral home in the city.

BEREAVED FAMILIES

The legal counsel of the Cessna 206 operator has reached out to the bereaved families. The operator has already made arrangements with a local funeral shop to pick up the bodies once unloaded from the helicopters of the Philippine Air Force.

The bereaved family of the passengers will be given time to identify the bodies. At the same time, the pilot's remains will undergo an autopsy upon the instruction of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP). The pilot will also be cremated and brought home to Nueva Ecija.

• CAAP begins probe into Cessna plane crash in Isabela alongside retrieval of passengers

The family members of one of the passengers will bring her remains to Claveria, Cagayan where she will be interred. The other four related passengers, including two minors, will be transported to Silang, Cavite.

"The company will shoulder all expenses for the sealing, caskets, and transportation of the bodies to their intended destinations. We will also provide financial assistance for the family's travel from Cauayan to their homes." Atty Gilbert Bautista, HML legal counsel, said.

CAAP said they deployed their Aircraft Accident Investigation and Inquiry Board (AAIIB) to Cauayan, Isabela to start the probe on the Cessna 206 crash.

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