Crashed PIA plane’s pilot ‘ignored’ 3 ATC warnings
karachi — The pilot of Pakistan International Airlines’ crashed plane ignored three warnings from the air traffic controllers (ATC) about the aircraft’s altitude and speed before landing, saying he was “satisfied” and would handle the situation, according to a report on Monday.
The Airbus A-320 was 15 nautical miles from the Jinnah International Airport, and flying at an altitude of 10,000 feet above the ground instead of 7,000 when the ATC issued its first warning to lower the plane’s altitude, Geo News quoted an ATC report as saying.
However, the pilot responded by saying that he was satisfied. When only 10 nautical miles were left to the
airport, the plane was at an
altitude of 7,000 feet instead of 3,000 feet, it said. The ATC issued a second warning to the pilot to lower the plane’s altitude. However, the pilot responded again by stating that he was satisfied and would handle the situation. —
karachi — The pilot of the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA)’s crashed plane ignored three warnings from the air traffic controllers about the aircraft’s altitude and speed before the landing, saying he was satisfied and would handle the situation, according to a report on Monday.
The national flag carrier’s PK8303 tragedy on Friday, in which 97 people were killed and two miraculously survived, is one of the most catastrophic aviation disasters in the country’s history.
The Airbus A-320 from Lahore to Karachi was 15 nautical miles from the Jinnah International Airport, flying at an altitude of 10,000 feet above the ground instead of 7,000 when the Air Traffic Control (ATC) issued its first warning to lower the plane’s altitude, quoted an ATC report as saying.
Instead of lowering the altitude, the pilot responded by saying that he was satisfied. When only 10 nautical miles were left till the airport, the plane was at an altitude of 7,000 feet instead of 3,000 feet, it said.
The ATC issued a second warning to the pilot to lower the plane’s
altitude. However, the pilot responded again by stating that he was satisfied and would handle the situation, saying he was ready for landing, the report said.
The report said that the plane had enough fuel to fly for two hours and 34 minutes, while its total flying time was recorded at one hour and 33 minutes.
Pakistani investigators are trying to find out if the crash is attributable to a pilot error or a technical glitch.
Probe report in three months
A probe team, headed by Air Commodore Usman Ghani, President of the Aircraft Accident and
Investigation Board, is expected to submit a full report in about three months.
According to the PIA’s engineering and maintenance department, the last check of the plane was done on March 21 this year and it had flown from Muscat to Lahore a day before the crash.
In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, the government had allowed the limited domestic flight operations from five major airports — Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar and Quetta — from May 16.
After the plane tragedy, the PIA has called off its domestic operation. —