Woman ‘alive’ after plane crash but did not survive jungle

By Vince Jacob Visaya

TUGUEGARAO CITY -- The lone passenger of the ill-fated Piper plane with tail number RP-C1234 was probably alive when it crashed in the Sierra Madre forest in Isabela on Nov. 30.
    This was the assessment of the rescuers who found her remains 200 meters away from the plane's wreckage in San Mariano, Isabela.
    The passenger was identified as Erna Escalante, a 43-year-old barangay health worker in Dimapnat, Divilacan, Isabela.
    "She had her personal belongings with her and with some food when found. She was alive after the crash but was unable to survive the Sierra Madre," AK9 Mandog Sniffer Volunteers head Red Oliva Lim told reporters here.
    The rescue team arrived at the crash site on December 7 and found the remains of the pilot, Capt. Levy Abul 2nd, among the wreckage.
    The team, however, did not find the woman in the wreckage but saw a makeshift shelter nearby and traces of snack foods in the area, hinting that the passenger was probably alive after the plane crashed. With the help of scent-tracking dogs, her remains were located in a slopy part of the forest on December 10.
    The rescuers hinted that her wounds, previous illnesses and days of no food or water intake may have had an adverse effect on her.
    As this developed, scent-tracking dogs have been met with accolades at the command site for the successful retrieval of the body.
    The smallest among the three rescuer dogs, an eight-year-old beagle named Wheel, was the one who helped the team find Escalante's body.
    "Wheel has a great smell and tracking instincts," Lim said, adding that the two other dogs, Drake and Bekong, also helped in retrieval operations.
    The Piper PA-32-300 plane owned by the Fliteline Airways and operated by Cyclone Airways, departed Cauayan Airport at 9:39 a.m. on Nov. 30 and was supposed to arrive at Palanan Airport at 10:23 a.m. on the same day of the crash.