The fatalities were Senior Inspector Hernando Ardoña, a flight instructor, and his student, Police Officer 2 Ariston Garcia.
Chief Superintendent Joel Goltiao, PNP spokesman, said the twin-seater Cessna trainer plane crashed seconds after taking off from a government airstrip in Barangay Agnaya in Plaridel at around 4:50 p.m.
"We still could not tell whether it was pilot error or mechanical trouble," he said. "We still have no details about what caused (the crash)."
Ardoña and Garcia burned to death after the plane exploded, he added. Goltiao said the PNP and the Air Transportation Office are investigating the crash. The airstrip is being operated by the ATO, he added. — Sandy Araneta, James Mananghaya