Aviation minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan, announcing the findings in parliament, said, “The pilots, as well as the controller, didn’t follow the standard rules.”
Islamabad| A plane crashed that killed at least 97 people in Pakistan last month was because of human error by the pilots and air traffic control, an initial report into the disaster said on Wednesday.
The Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) airplane, on May 22, came down on houses after both engines failed as it approached Karachi airport, killing all but two people on board.
Aviation minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan, announcing the findings in parliament, said, “The pilot, as well as the controller, didn’t follow the standard rules.”
He said as the pilots attempted to land the Airbus A320, they were discussing coronavirus pandemic.
“The pilot and co-pilot were not focused and throughout the conversation was about coronavirus,” Khan told.
The Pakistani investigation team, which included officials from the French government and the aviation industry, went through and analyzed the data and voice recorders.
The minister stressed that the plane was “100 percent fit for flying, there was no technical fault”.
The Pakistan government had said that it will make the preliminary report of the team public on June 22. The PIA Airbus A-320 aircraft, with 99 people on board, crashed in the Model Colony near Jinnah International Airport in Karachi on May 22, killing 97 people. Two passengers miraculously survived. A 13-year-old girl who was injured on the ground later succumbed to her injuries, taking the death toll in the incident to 98.
This was the first major aircraft crash in Pakistan after December 7, 2016 when a PIA ATR-42 aircraft from Chitral to Islamabad crashed midway. The crash claimed the lives of all 48 passengers and the crew.
As an independent media platform, we do not take advertisements from governments and corporate houses. It is you, our readers, who have supported us on our journey to do honest and unbiased journalism. Please contribute, so that we can continue to do the same in future.
