CAAP: One month to finish probe into Bulacan plane crash

The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) on Sunday said it would take at least month to determine the cause of the plane crash in Plaridel, Bulacan, which killed 10 people.

CAAP spokesperson Eric Apolonio told Super Radyo dzBB that the agency has formed two teams to conduct separate investigations into the plane crash on Saturday.

Apolonio said investigations into light plane crashes usually take longer because these aircraft do not have a black box or a flight data recorded.

"Normally ang ganyan hong mga imbestigasyon, inaabot ho 'yan ng one month ang resulta, unang una kailangan nilang ma-determine ang causes ng pagbagsak, hindi 'yan katulad ng malalaking aircraft na may tinatawag na black box," he clarified.

He said investigators would have to rely on the pieces of evidences that would be recovered from the crash site and flight documents.

A six-seater Piper PA-23 Apache plane, owned by Lite Air Express, carrying five people crashed into a house in Purok Tres, Barangay Lumang Bayan in Plaridel town before noon Saturday.

The plane's five occupants and another five people living in the house were killed.

The CAAP has ordered all aircraft operated by Lite Air Express grounded pending results of the investigations.

Apolonio said CAAP will ask Lite Air Express to explain. They are expecting the company's representatives to report on Monday. —Anna Felicia Bajo/ALG, GMA News