The Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) passenger plane which crashed near the Jinnah International Airport in Karachi last month was the cause of a human error according to the recent reports released on Wednesday. The report has suggested that the pilots were discussing the coronavirus crisis during the landing.
Ghulam Sarwar Khan, the country’s aviation minister revealed that the pilot, as well as the (air traffic) controller, didn’t follow the standard rules. Khan added, “The pilot and co-pilot were not focused, and throughout they were having a conversation about the coronavirus. The [virus] was on their minds. Their families were affected and they were having a discussion about it.”
Minister also alleged that the pilot was overconfident. He said that the “plane was 100 percent fit for flying, there was no fault.” The report suggested that the pilot was flying the aircraft at more than twice the standard altitude when it approached the runway without the landing gear deployed.
The standard operating procedures were ignored by the pilots and the controller resulting in an aborted landing that damaged the engines heavily. In the second attempt to land, the plane crashed into the residential society near the airport.
As per reports, the french officials and the officials from the aviation industry were a part of the investigating team. The officials analyzed the cockpit data and voice recorders.
The full report about the incident is yet to be released as the investigation in this matter is still underway.
The Minister informed that the PIA plane crash damaged around 29 houses and the government would compensate the residents for their losses.
PIA plane crash incident
The PIA passenger flight which went down near the Jinnah International airport last month was carrying 107 people on board including passengers and flight crew. As per reports, there were 99 passengers and 8 crew members on board. Several houses have been damaged due to the crash.
Reports suggest that the pilot had reported that he had lost an engine. He made an attempt to land when the plane crashed near the airport in a residential society. Officials say that at least two people have survived the crash.
The Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) passenger plane crashed near the Jinnah International Airport in Karachi was traveling from Lahore was about to land in Karachi’s Jinnah international airport when it crashed at the Jinnah Garden area near Model Colony in Malir, Karachi.
