Laoag International Airlines Flight 585


Laoag International Airlines Flight 585 was a scheduled flight operated by Laoag International Airlines from Manila to Laoag, Philippines. On November 11, 2002, the Fokker F-27 Friendship crashed into Manila Bay shortly after takeoff from Ninoy Aquino International Airport. Of the 34 passengers and crew on board, 15 survived.

Flight

Flight 585 took off from Ninoy Aquino International Airport shortly after 6 a.m. local time. Almost at once the plane's engines began to fail. The flight crew decided to return to the airport but when it became an unfeasible option, the pilots chose to attempt a water landing in Manila Bay instead. The Fokker F-27 broke up and sank; the Philippine Coast Guard and local fishermen rushed to the scene but 19 passengers and crew had died.
The pilot and co-pilot of Flight 585 plus Roman Catholic Bishop Jose Paala Salazar were among the survivors.

Investigation

The owner of Laoag International Airlines, Paul Ng, stated sabotage caused the crash, but retracted his statement very soon afterwards. A month after the crash, Ng plus the Airlines chief mechanic, were arrested by Philippine immigration authorities and charged with working without having a proper permit.
On January 10, 2003, it was announced that pilot error was the cause of the crash. The plane’s two surviving pilots, Captain Bernie Crisostomo and First Officer Joseph Gardiner, failed to notice that the fuel valves were closed. Transportation and Communications Secretary, Leandro Mendoza, placed the blame for the pilot's fatal lapse on the principal officers of Laoag International Airlines.
Five months after the investigation was complete, a special committee of the Senate began proceedings to revoke Laoag International Airlines' congressional franchise.