DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 10 November 2026) — Reports of a plane crash in Barangay Tibolo, Santa Cruz, Davao del Sur turned out to be false, officials confirmed. The viral social media posts and initial media reports were based on unverified claims that a vintage 1945 DC-3 aircraft (registration No. N882TP) carrying six foreign nationals had crashed. However, rescue operations were terminated after authorities verified no such incident occurred.
The false alarm began when Marvin Endar posted a video at 8:43 a.m. on Tuesday of a low-flying plane, which garnered widespread attention. Despite no evidence of a crash, some Facebook pages and users spread unconfirmed reports, prompting emergency responses. The Office of Civil Defense XI (OCD XI) and local officials, including Davao del Sur Governor Marc Cagas, clarified that the plane had safely landed in Butuan, as confirmed by the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP).
OCD XI Regional Director Ednar Dayanghirang, who personally visited Tibolo, stated that disaster officials cross-checked multiple accounts—including social media posts about a low-flying plane, rumors of an explosion, and official CAAP confirmation of the plane’s safe arrival—before concluding there was no crash. The aircraft, tracked to Butuan-Bancasi Airport by noon, was found to be operational.
Governor Cagas urged caution in reporting unverified incidents. Meanwhile, flight-tracking platforms like Flightradar24 and FlightAware showed no data on the aircraft’s path, as its tracking was blocked per the operator’s request. The DC-3, owned by TVPX Aircraft Solutions Inc Trustee, is a durable aircraft capable of carrying over 20 passengers. (Yas D. Ocampo / MindaNews)
