Wednesday, March 25, 2009


MIRIAM CRASH-LANDS

The Philippines News Agency (PNA) reports that Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago narrowly escaped injury in the aircraft she was piloting recently when she was forced to make an emergency landing in Eastern Samar because of bad weather. The Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) issued a preliminary determination that 'pilot error' contributed to the accident, and that the senator was flying in Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) conditions while only having obtained a Visual Flight Rules (VFR) single engine land rating. The absence of a post-crash fire was likely due to insufficient fuel on board. No one on the ground was injured. A photo taken at the scene (see picture above) shows the extent of damage to Senator Defensor-Santiago's aircraft.

Found at the scene of the crash were several sleeping pills, a taser gun and a torn straightjacket.