CAGAYAN DE ORO (MindaNews/04 March) — A chartered light plane carrying a vacationing Norwegian family crashed as it was about to land at the airport in Mambajao town in Camiguin, killing the pilot and one of the passengers Sunday morning, police reports said.
Norwegian citizen Rachel Strande, 37 and Filipino pilot Christian Cebrecus died instantly after their Cessna four-seater light plane with tail number RPC 209, which left Cebu at 7:16 a.m. hit a coconut tree and crashed into a backyard of a house near Ardent Springs at around 8 a.m., according to Senior Camiguin police chief Supt. Amor Macoy.
He said Strande’s husband Lance and their three-year-old daughter, Johanna, survived the crash and are now confined at the Camiguin Emergency Hospital in Mambajao town.
The plane’s co-pilot, Naram Dewi, an Indonesia student pilot, also survived the crash and was also rushed to the same hospital.
“The three are in serious condition and our doctors are closely monitoring their progress, “ Macoy said.
Macoy said the Cessna plane came from Cebu and was about to land at the airport when the crash happened.
He said witnesses told the police they saw the plane lining up for a landing when it met a strong gust of wind.
“The plane swerved, hitting a coconut tree nearby,” Macoy narrated.
Macoy said the plane was chartered by the Strande family to bring them from Cebu to Camiguin where they planned to spend a few days vacation.
He said the victims were identified through their passports and several identification cards. (Froilan Gallardo/MindaNews)
