ATO to summon flight school execs over mishap

Luzon: The Air Transportation Office will summon for questioning officials of two flight training schools for the mid-air collision that killed three persons in Bulacan Sunday.
Radio stationdzEC reported Monday that ATO chief Nilo Jatico wants the instructors from the victims’ schools to shed light on the incident.
He also hinted the investigation will include the air traffic controller who received requests from both planes to use the same runway at the airport in Plaridel town.
Jatico admitted they are still facing a blank wall as of now, as they could not retrieve the flight recorder, or black box, of either plane.
Initial investigation showed RP-26791 had asked permission to land at Runway 35 after an hour of flight lessons, while RP-8696 did the same.
The planes went down in an area away from houses. One carried a female Indian citizen identified as Reena Salve, while the other was flown by Filipino flight instructor Patrick Philip Ferwel and his female Indian student Varsha Gopinath.
09/07/07 GMA news.tv, Philippines