The initial investigation report regarding the PIA plane crash concluded that the pilots and air traffic controller did not follow the set protocols which led to the incident killing 97 people on board last month.
Aviation Minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan shared the findings in National Assembly today saying nepotism and political interference have damaged the national flag carrier.
“I have listened to their conversation. The pilots were not focused and their all attention was concentrated on coronavirus during the flight,” the minister said, adding “the ill-fated plane was 100% fit to fly and it did not have any sort of technical fault.”
The minister told the lawmakers that the plane had been grounded due to a ban on flights because of coronavirus till May 7. He added that the plane took it first flight again after a break on May 7 and on May 22 it was caught in the accident.
“During this period, it completed six successful flights. And five flights were from Lahore to Karachi and Karachi to Lahore, while one flight was to Sharjah,” the minister told the parliament. He added that both the captain and his co-pilot were medically fit to fly as well.
“According to the initial report, a copy of which is with me, the pilot in the final approach did not point to any technical fault,” the minister stated.
After assessing the two most important pieces of evidence, the Digital Flight Data Recorder (DFDR) of the aircraft, which records all the actions of the plane, and the Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR), the “first irregularity” was noticed when the pilot approached the runway.
“The plane was supposed to be at the height of 2,500 feet at 10 nautical miles before coming near the runway. According to the initial report and the record, the plane was at the height of 7,220 feet. This was the first irregularity,” said the minister. He also added that the ATC pointed out this to the pilot “thrice” that his height was much higher and advised for a go-around.
“But the pilot ignored the controllers’ instructions,” said Khan. “The data entry record showed that the plane’s landing gears were opened when it was 10 nautical miles away from the runway.”
