Pilot, air traffic controller held responsible for PIA crash

ISLAMABAD: A preliminary report on the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) Flight No. PK-8303 crash in Karachi has held the pilot and air traffic controller responsible for the incident.

According to the report, investigators said he pilot did not follow the procedure and was overconfident. The air traffic controller was held equally responsible for the incident as he did not ask the pilot to make an emergency landing instead of taking off when the aircraft hit the runway.

The report has been prepared from evidence gathered from the cockpit voice recorder data, plane debris and other evidence collected from the crashed site by the probe team.

Aircraft Accident and Investigation Board (AAIB) led by Air Commodore Muhammad Usman Ghani has presented the preliminary report on the PK-8303 crash to Federal Aviation Minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan. The minister is expected to present the preliminary report to Prime Minister Imran Khan tomorrow.

On May 22, flight PK-8303 crashed in Model Colony near the Jinnah International Airport in Karachi, killing 97 people while two miraculously survived.

Following the crash, PM Imran had ordered a probe into the incident to determine the cause of the incident. A team of experts from aircraft manufacturer Airbus had arrived in Karachi a few days after the crash to investigate the incident.

Federal Minister for Aviation Ghulam Sarwar Khan had said during a National Assembly session that he would present the report in the assembly by June 22. He said those who were responsible for the air crash would be held accountable after a ‘ free, fair and transparent inquiry’ would be held.