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MANILA - Air traffic controllers lost contact with the Xiamen Airlines jet before it overshot the runway of the that Ninoy Aquino International Airport on Aug. 16, an official of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines said Wednesday.

The radio contact was lost right after the Korean pilot of the Boeing 737 acknowledged the landing clearance, the chief of CAAP's Aerodome Division, Marlene Singson, told a Senate hearing on the incident which paralyzed the capital's main airport for nearly 2 days.

"Pero nung time na yun visually nawala siya, wala na ring radio contact," Singson said.

(At that time, it disappeared visually. There was no radio contact.)

"Hindi po sumasagot, hindi rin po makita sa tower," she said.

(There was no response. It could not be seen from the tower.)

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Rains were pouring on portions of the runway at the time of the incident, she said.

Singson said it was good that the engine was shut down before the aircraft crash-landed since it contains 4 tons of highly flammable aviation fuel.

Officials said they could not confirm whether the incident was a pilot error since flight recordings were still being analyzed in Singapore.

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