According to the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP), the aircraft with registration RP-C2296, which had taken off from Dipolog Airport in Zamboanga del Norte at 1:40pm local time (UTC+8), was bound for Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Manila when it lost radar contact with air traffic control (ATC) at around 3.10pm, while flying 37 miles (60 km) south of Manila. Witnesses nearby reported that the aircraft trailed smoke before plummeting onto the ground.
