Philippine Air Force plane crashes in Palawan Bay, 2 pilots still missing

The Philippine Daily Inquirer reported on Monday, June 24 that the Philippine Air Force was searching for the two pilots who have gone missing "after their twin-engine propeller plane went down at sea during a night flying mission on Sunday, June 23."

The report quoted air force spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Miguel Okol as saying that the OV-10 Bronco, which was "used largely as a maritime patrol support aircraft, failed to return to an air strip on the western island of Palawan."

InterAksyon.com later identified the pilots as Maj. Jonathan A. Ybanez and 1Lt. Abner Trust Nacion. The InterAksyon.com report also noted that as of Tuesday evening, June 25, the authorities had shifted from rescue to retrieval operations.

For more on this story, log on to Inquirer.net and InterAksyon.com.