CAAP says reported plane crash in Santa Cruz, Davao del Sur was a false alarm

A reported aircraft crash in Santa Cruz, Davao del Sur turned out to be a false alarm, the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) said on Tuesday, after confirming that the plane in question had landed safely at Butuan Airport, according to Edge Davao.

Reports had circulated that an aircraft allegedly went down in Sitio Boribad, Barangay Tibolo, Santa Cruz, causing confusion among media practitioners and social media followers in Davao City. Some online users also speculated that the aircraft was conducting an aerial survey, with some followers of Edge Davao asking whether it was looking for Senator Ronald "Bato" dela Rosa or International Criminal Court personnel.

In a statement, CAAP said: "The aircraft with registration N882TP was accounted for and confirmed to have landed safely at Butuan Airport."

Engr. Rex A. Obcena, Airport Manager III of CAAP-Davao International Airport, told Edge Davao the aircraft landed at 12:13 p.m. and that this was verified with Butuan airport authorities. "We have verified information that the aircraft safely landed in Butuan at 12:13 this afternoon," Obcena said.

Obcena explained that CAAP was following protocol in verifying a report of a possible aircraft accident relayed by the Office of Civil Defense 11 (OCD 11). Because the reported site was far outside the Davao International Airport's jurisdiction, CAAP coordinated with OCD 11, the Philippine Air Force and Butuan airport authorities. He said questions about where the initial report came from should be directed to OCD 11.

OCD 11 Regional Director Ednar Dayanghirang also confirmed the safe landing, saying Obcena had personally called him. He said the confusion likely stemmed from two separate accounts in different places: a video of a low-flying aircraft in Kapatagan, and reports from Barangay Tibolo residents who heard a loud explosion and later saw smoke. According to Dayanghirang, the Tibolo residents did not actually see any aircraft crash, but the two accounts were linked together and led to the conclusion that a crash had happened.

Dayanghirang said local disaster officers had acted on the information they received and carried out verification.