Timeline prior to crash

CEBU, Philippines - Secretary Mar Roxas said the Department of Transportation and Communications received from Mactan-Cebu International Airport Authority this chronology of events that happened hours before the six-seater Piper Seneca plane carrying DILG Secretary Jesse Robredo crashed in the waters off the shoreline of Masbate City yesterday afternoon.

11:45 a.m. – Secretary Robredo arrives at the Mactan-Cebu International Airport onboard Cebu Pacific flight 5J553. He immediately proceeded to the Cebu Center for a speaking engagement.

2:30 p.m. – Robredo leaves the groundbreaking ceremony of the new PNP Regional Training Center in Consolacion, and proceeds to MCIA.

3 p.m. - MCIAA General Manager Nigel Paul Villarete accommodates Robredo and his party at the VIP room of MCIA.

Robredo was booked on Cebu Pacific 5J572, Cebu-Manila set to depart at 3:50 p.m. but for reasons known only to Robredo, he decided to take a private plane instead of taking the commercial flight. The secretary opted to fly using one of the planes of Aviatour Air, an aviation company based in MCIA.

Robredo then proceeded directly to MCIA’s General Aviations area without passing through the MCIA main terminal building.

3:06 p.m. -The twin engine Piper Seneca, with Registry No. RPC-4431, takes off at MCIA with four persons on board: Capt. Jessup Bahinting, the pilot who is also the owner, chairman, and CEO of Aviatour Air, co-pilot Kshitiz Chand, a Nepalese national, Robredo, and his aide Police Chief Inspector June Paolo Abrazado.

3:30 p.m. - Inspector Abrazado sent a text message to Col. Ritchie Posadas, PCAS-7 chief to tell him that the six-seater plane was experiencing a problem with one of the propellers and returning back to Cebu.

Sometime later, he requested to rebook Secretary Robredo and himself for the earliest flight possible out of Mactan. The secretary and Insp. Abrazado were rebooked on Cebu Pacific 5J570, Cebu-Manila that is supposed to leave at 5:05 p.m.

4:20 p.m. - Inspector Abrazado informed PCAS-7 and DILG personnel that they are making an emergency landing at Masbate Airport.

When asked if they were okay, Insp. Abrazado replied, “Okay naman.” That was the last communication received by PCAS-7 from him.

The last communication received by the MCIA control tower from the plane was they were 150 feet, descending, on the final approach using instrument flight rules to Masbate Airport and they may undershoot the runway.  - From DOTC press release (FREEMAN)