Was it a pilot error or bird-hit that caused the plane crash?
Airbus experts to arrive in Pakistan to probe the air tragedy
An 11-member team of experts and engineers from European aircraft manufacturer Airbus is arriving to provide technical support to the four-member committee constituted by the Pakistani government to probe the May 22 crash of PIA Flight PK-8303.
The team, which according to the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) was to arrive yesterday, will also interview the survivors and eyewitnesses to assist the investigation committee to reach a conclusion whether it was a technical fault, an accident or pilot error that caused the worst air tragedy in the country’s recent history.
Rescue work halted
Ahead of the team’s arrival, the rescue work and cleanup activity of removing various parts of the doomed plane’s engine and other objects were halted. The team will conduct a thorough inspection of the site as well as the engine and black box.
According to the company’s record, the aircraft was handed over to the PIA in 2014 and had completed 47,100 flight hours and 25,860 flight cycles.
Meanwhile, a preliminary report prepared by the CAA raises serious questions over the pilot’s handling of the aircraft. Whether it was his error of judgement, a bird-hit accident or technical fault in the aeroplane needs to be thoroughly probed, says the report.
The plane’s engines had hit the runway a number of times when the pilot was landing it but after the third hit, he had to lift it up owing to its high speed and unstable condition.
24-year flying experience
The pilot of the plane, Captain Sajjad Gul, had a distinguished 24-year career in the airline industry: 17,000 hours of flying planes and 4,700 hours of flying A320 Airbus.
The air control room meanwhile kept reminding him to take the aircraft to 3,000 feet, but he managed only 1,800. This failure to achieve the directed height indicates that the engines were not responding, it was pointed out in the report.