PIA plane crashed due to human error, says preliminary probe report
Islamabad: The Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) plane crash last month was caused by the negligence of the cockpit crew and the air control tower and not due to any technical fault, according to a preliminary investigation report on the tragedy that killed 97 people onboard.
The domestic flight from Lahore to Karachi crashed in a residential area near the Jinnah International Airport in Karachi on May 22.
The Airbus A320 aircraft of the national carrier had 91 passengers and a crew of eight when it crashed into the Jinnah Garden area near Model Colony in Malir on Friday, minutes before its landing. One girl died on the ground after suffering burn injuries.
Two passengers miraculously survived the crash. A probe was commissioned by the government with the commitment that the initial report would be shared with Parliament on June 22.
But Aviation Minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan handed the report to Prime Minister Imran Khan instead of Parliament.
The report showed that pilot and air traffic control officials were primarily responsible, according to officials.
The Express Tribune reported that the initial probe showed that the CAA officials, the cockpit crew, the control tower and the air traffic control repeatedly made mistakes. It reported the aircraft's black box has so far not indicated the possibility of any technical fault.
The report said both the speed and the altitude of the aircraft was more than the recommended parameters when the pilot tried first landing.
In the first landing, the aircraft touched the ground at the middle of a 9,000-meter long runway.
The control tower permitted landing despite the greater speed and altitude. The air traffic control also did not provide the control tower with the radio frequency.
The pilot also did not inform the control tower about jamming of the landing gears. It was also the wrong decision on part of the pilot to attempt a second landing.
The plane stayed in the air for 17 minutes after the first landing attempt, a crucial time during which both the engines of the aircraft failed.
It said fragments of the PIA aircraft's engine stayed on the runway for 12 hours but the air site unit did not collect them and later other aircraft were allowed to land on the runway.
This was a violation of the standard operating procedure as it could cause damage to other aircraft.
According to the report, the air traffic control officials should have been relieved after the incident but they continued to perform their duties till 7pm.
It said the aircraft's first engine was installed on February 25, 2019 while its second engine was installed on May 27, 2019. All three landing gears of the aircraft were installed on October 18, 2014.
The fateful plane was 16-year-old and was manufactured in 2004. The plane was included in the PIA fleet in October 2014, according to the Express Tribune.
The aviation minister told the National Assembly on Monday that the report will be shared with parliament on Wednesday as he confirmed sharing it with the Prime Minister.
Official sources said that the report was shared with the aviation ministry on Monday and investigation team head Air Commodore Usman Ghani gave a detailed briefing while submitting the report.
The minister said other reports on different air incidents since 2010, including Air Blue and Bhoja airlines' plane crashes in Islamabad and PIA plane crash near Haripur etc would also be shared.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Cal HC urges EC to dispose of TMC complaint over police observer's meeting with BJP nominee
Kolkata (PTI): The Calcutta High Court has requested the Election Commission to address the TMC's complaint that a police observer in South 24 Parganas district for the assembly polls met a BJP candidate in violation of norms.
The TMC prayed for the removal of the said officer from the role of police observer in four assembly constituencies -- Magrahat Purba, Magrahat Paschim, Diamond Harbour and Falta.
The EC stated before the court that the observer met the candidate in an official capacity at the designated conference room for meetings at a state government-owned tourist lodge in Diamond Harbour, and there was nothing confidential about it as alleged by the petitioner.
Justice Krishna Rao, after hearing the parties in the matter last week, "requested" the Election Commission of India to dispose of the complaint filed by the TMC and to communicate the order to the petitioner.
The TMC alleged in the petition that during his stay at the tourist lodge, the officer held a private and unofficial meeting with the candidate fielded by the BJP from the Magrahat Paschim assembly constituency.
Senior advocate D S Naidu, representing the Election Commission, stated before the court that sub-clause 3 of Clause 3 of the Observer’s Handbook provides that for all purposes, a police observer would act as the eyes and ears of the ECI during the period of election and provide direct input to the commission.
He stated before the court that a police observer has to meet the public as well as the candidates and to submit a report to the Commission.
Naidu further submitted that the TMC's allegation that the police observer in question met with the BJP candidate in a personal manner is baseless, as he met the said candidate in an official capacity along with others.
