Plane crash report made public

KARACHI/ISLAMABAD: The “ preliminary report” of the May 22 PIA airbus A320 tragedy that claimed the lives of over 97 people in Model Colony just a few meters away from the runway, was submitted to the prime minister on Monday.

Credible aviation sources familiar with the contents of the initial inquiry report into the May 22 PK-8303 tragedy, told the Geo News that both the cockpit crew and the air traffic controller have been held responsible for the airbus crash that took over 97 lives of both passengers and crew in the flying from Lahore to Karachi. Two passengers had a lucky escape from the disaster.

The report said, that “the cockpit crew over the airbus A320 repeatedly ignored the directions and instructions of the Air traffic controller, while the latter also failed to get his instructions enforced.” According to the records of the pilot and the Air Traffic Controllers communication, submitted to the prime minister, the air traffic controller more than once warned the pilots about “their wrong altitude and speed and other factors ahead of landing and clearly instructed the pilots to abort the landing.” However the pilot, according to the report ignored the warnings and insisted on landing.

The air traffic controller has also been found culpable “in not only failing to get his instructions to the pilot enforced but also allowed the aircraft to land despite all the wrong parameters for doing so,” sources present in the briefing to the prime minister said.

Meanwhile, sources told The Geo News that the prime minister expressed strong concern and outrage over recruitment of pilots based on forged educational qualifications and the awarding of pilot licenses by Civil Aviation Authority in dubious circumstances and sought a report about both the issues in two days.

The initial report into the PK 8303 has also criticized “both the PIA and CAA and held both the organisations in terribly failing to prevent the horrific airbus aircraft crash.” The air crash investigation board also used the data from the data flight recorder and the cockpit voice recorder in this preliminary report. The Air Accident Investigation Board also did not rule out any technical malfunctioning or defect that may have contributed to the crash and more work is required. The entire technical data of the flight from Lahore to Karachi has also been made part of the preliminary inquiry report. The investigators continue to minutely examine the aircraft equipment and instruments for a final and conclusive determination.

Earlier, the report was submitted by the president of the Air Accident Investigation Board Air Commodore (retd) Usman Ghani to the Minister for Aviation Ghulam Sarwar Khan. On Monday the Air Accident Investigation also briefed the prime minister in detail about the probabilities of the crash. While the initial report has been submitted to the federal government, the conclusive report will take six months to one year for completion.

Meanwhile, the government will present the preliminary investigation report on the Karachi plane crash incident in the National Assembly on Wednesday along with previous reports, Federal Minister for Aviation Ghulam Sarwar Khan said on Monday.

Minister for Aviation Ghulam Sarwar while speaking on floor of the House, sought two more days to present report of PIA plane crash in Karachi on May 22, which claimed 97 lives. He said that report, which was presented to the prime minister on Monday was also discussed with him. “I am ready to submit the report to the National Assembly and other reports on air accidents, which took place in the last 10 years, are also almost ready,” he said. He said he should be given a couple of days more to present reports of crash of Bhoja Airlines, crash of PIA plane near Abbottabad and other incidents of the last 10 years. “I shall present all these reports along with latest plane crash on June 24 (Wednesday) in the House,“ he said.