Military rescues pilot, student in plane crash at Aurora
The military rescued on Thursday a pilot and a student of a Cessna plane that made an emergency landing in the mountainous area of Aurora province last Tuesday.
1Lt. Catherine Hapin, the public affairs office chief of the Army’s 7th Infantry Division, said Friday the survivors were Captain Joseph Albert Galvan, the pilot and his student Alexii Cay Trinidad.
She said the rescue team located the survivors around 1:35 pm of Wednesday while “following the voice of Trinidad who was calling for help.”
“The wreckage was found at Barangay Decoliat, Maria Aurora, Aurora, 1,111 meters above sea level. Capt Galvan suffered a head wound while Trinidad fractured her right leg,” Hapin said.
“Troops immediately applied first aid and prepared to transfer the survivors to the nearest hospital in Baler or Cabanatuan City, however, the difficult terrain and inclement weather continue to posed a problem,” she added.
Hapin said because of the bad weather troops temporarily postponed their movement at around 8:40 pm Wednesday and continued Thursday morning.
She said troops rescued and turned over the survivors to the personnel of Aurora Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office around 5:50 pm Thursday.
Hapin said based on initial report the two while in board a Cessna plane owned by Fly Fast Aviation was enroute from Lingayen Air Strip to Baler, Aurora when they had to make an emergency landing somewhere along the forested and mountainous Maria Aurora, Aurora province.
“The pilot was able to make an SOS call after making the emergency landing,” she said. Robina Asido/DMS
