Trainer plane crashes off La Union; 2 hurt

SAN FERNANDO CITY, La Union, Philippines — A pilot instructor and his student were injured when a trainer plane crashed off the coast of Barangay Canaoay in this city yesterday.

The Cessna plane 172, which was operated by Leading Edge International Aviation, took off from the San Fernando airport at 8:10 a.m.

Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) spokesman Eric Apolonio said the pilot called the San Fernando tower for emergency landing at 8:23 a.m.

Rescuers said the instructor and his student were taken to the Lorma Medical Center for treatment.

The CAAP’s Aircraft Accident Intelligence and Investigation Board is looking into the cause of the accident.

Members of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) helped rescue the passengers of the aircraft.

The PCG-Marine Environmental Protection Unit placed two units of a 25-meter boom to prevent an oil spill. — Evelyn Macairan, Artemio Dumlao