A tragic incident was recorded today in Manila, Philippines as a chartered medical evacuation flight crashed during takeoff.
In a statement released by authorities at Manila’s main airport, the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), it was gathered that the Lionair plane owned by a Philippines-registered charter service Lionair, was bound for Haneda, Japan, but burst into flames at the end of the runway around 8.00pm.
All eight passengers and crew, including an American and a Canadian died in the crash. The twin-jet West Wind 24 plane was carrying three medical personnel, three flight crew, a patient and a companion.
The Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) said in a statement;
“The flight, which was on a med-evac mission to Haneda, Japan, was carrying two passengers and six crew members.
“Unfortunately, no passenger survived the accident.”
Photos from our team on the ground. pic.twitter.com/5SYvVxkcZk
— Richard J. Gordon (@DickGordonDG) March 29, 2020
The runway has been closed temporarily, affecting an arriving Korean Air flight that was diverted to Clark airport in northern Philippines, said MIAA General Manager Eddie Monreal.
UPDATE NO. 1
What: Plane Crash
Where: NAIA Terminal 2, Pasay
When: March 29, 2020 (Sunday)Distance from Chapter: 3.9 kms (10 mins)
Involved: Lion Air Flight RPC 5880 (Chartered Plane)
Flight Route: Manila to Cebu (to be confirmed) pic.twitter.com/DgBG3xV1Fh
— Philippine Red Cross (@philredcross) March 29, 2020
Lion Air just crashed at NAIA
An aircraft, Breaking: A plane got crashed at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (#NAIA) tonight carrying medical supplies. 8 passengers including pilots are confirmed dead. #Philippines #Covid_19 #CoronaUpdate #Manila pic.twitter.com/g6hQql6vtv— Dr.Sunil Kumar (@DrSunilKumar_) March 29, 2020
The aircraft was built in 1981 and is currently 39 years old. It has been operated in Canada and Spain in the past.
