Pilot from Peshawar dies in Balochistan gyrocopter crash

PESHAWAR: A young gyrocopter pilot from the provincial capital died when his small plane crashed in the mountains after taking off in an emergency from Hingol National Park in Balochistan to Kund Malir.

The pilot, Qazi Ajmal, took off on the night of December 2 but went missing. Later, his body was recovered after a search for three days. The family confirmed on Sunday morning that the body of the deceased pilot was recovered along with the debris of the gyrocopter. His body was shifted to his native Landi Arbab village where he was laid to rest on Sunday evening.

There were reports that Qazi Ajmal took off in an emergency at around 9:15 pm, a time not advisable for locally made gyrocopters. Some family members and reports said he was told to leave the area due to threats of attack by local robbers and criminals.

“He took off in an emergency from Hingol National Park to Kund Malir at around 9:15 pm. He was in contact with his brother Qazi Arsalan for around 20 minutes and later went missing,” Arbab Farooq Jan, a leader of JUIF and an uncle of the deceased pilot, told The News. He added the last time Ajmal contacted Arsalan from an altitude of around 1600 feet, saying he could not see anything due to darkness and mountains.

"The entire family is in shock. We are thankful to a large number of family members, friends, officials, locals of Balochistan and everyone involved in the search for Qazi Ajmal for three days," he added.

Farooq Jan informed Qazi Ajmal went to Balochistan on invitation of a friend as it was normal for him and other family members to fly to different parts of the country. "The death of Ajmal was a shock for the entire area. The talented Qazi family of Landi Arbab is known for making their own gliders, gyrocopters, autogyros and other flying machines while using local technology and their own resources," said Arbab Kamal Ahmad, an elder from Landi Arbab.

The pilots from the family participated in a number of galas all over the country to entertain the large number of fans as well as promote local tourism. Qazi Sajjad was the first one from the family who invented his own glider some four decades back and used to fly it in the suburbs of Peshawar. The family later invented other flying machines with their own resources.