ISLAMABAD: Minister for Aviation Ghulam Sarwar Khanon Wednesday said that the crash of PIA plane in Karachi last month took place due to human error.
Addressing a news conference, he said an interim report has been issued in line with international laws of civil aviation. He said initial report reveals that both pilots and air traffic controllers ignored the standard protocols.
He presented the interim report of the tragic plane crash in the National Assembly, he said such issues should be taken to parliament.
He said both the pilot and the Air Traffic Control did not follow the established norms and procedures. He said the pilot ignored the instructions regarding high altitude of the plane whilst the Air Traffic Control did not inform the pilot about the engines that got damaged after the first landing attempt.
The aviation minister also read out the interim report on the PK-8303 crash in which 97 people lost their lives on May 22. The report placed the blame on the pilot and air traffic controller.
The pilot ignored the instructions given by the control tower. He switched the landing from auto to manual and dived the plane for landing at a 60 degree angle than the recommended 30 degree angle, he claimed.
"The two pilots were discussing the coronavirus situation throughout the flight. They were worried about their families and weren't focused," Sarwar said and added: "The plane was absolutely fine."
The ATC, on the other hand, should've told the pilots when he saw the engine catching fire over failure to land. "Both engines were damaged, and when the pilot asked for landing again he couldn't do it and the plane fell on the civilian population." This is the interim report and more details will become available after the Airbus team completes its investigation, the federal minister added.
The Minister said there was no technical fault in the plane and it was fully fit for the flight. He said the plane took six flights including one to Sharjah from the 7th of May to 22nd May. He said the pilot and the co-pilot were experienced and medically fit to operate the flight.
He said the inquiry has been carried out in the most fair, free and transparent manner. The inquiry board also included ten foreigners. He said the law will take its course against the responsible persons still alive.
Ghulam Sarwar Khan assured that a complete report into the tragic incident will be presented before the house this year.
The Minister said conversation in cockpit was recovered from voice and data recorders and that was the most authentic evidence. He said our investigators immediately started their work soon after the crash of plane on 22nd of last month.
He said on 26th of last month, a team of Airbus and other experts was allowed to land in Pakistan despite COVID-19 restrictions to complete the investigation process as soon as possible.
He said by the first of this month, the process of visiting and gathering evidence was completed and Airbus team left for France after taking the records.
The Minister categorically stated that PIA will not be privatized but its restructuring will be done to revive its old glory.
The previous government spoke about privatising it but it should be restructured.
Another major problem is the fake licences. "More than 90% of people in Pakistan get their driving licences without even appearing for the exam," he said in the National Assembly session on Wednesday. The same has started happening for pilots too. Pilots were being hired on a political basis and were carrying fake licences, he said.
There are 860 pilots in the country right now. We launched an inquiry against those with fake licences and 54 cases emerged, said Sarwar, adding that show-cause notices were issued to 28 people. Nine pilots have confessed and the court is hearing cases against 18 others, he claimed. "We will no longer allow political hirings."
Four plane accidents have occurred in Pakistan in the recent past. Only the Chitral plane crash was because of a technical error. Pilots made the same mistake of overconfidence and no concentration in the Gilgit crash too, he said.
The Airblue crash occurred because of an "error of judgement, lack of professional skills and violation of conduct," he said while reading out the report. The BhojaAir crash was caused by "bad weather conditions", he said, adding that the "aircrew took incorrect decisions and violated procedures, the crew did not have adequate experience of management of automated flight tech and their competence skill level was lacking."
Speaking in the National Assembly, the aviation minister said the crash was a result of human error by the pilots, and the air traffic control.
He said that there was nothing wrong with the aircraft, an Airbus A320, run by the PIA, adding the pilot initially failed to deploy the landing gear correctly, which led to the aircraft scraping the runway before taking off again.
"Then, as it was about to make a second landing, air traffic controllers failed to inform the pilot that the engines had been left badly damaged," Sarwar added.
He also said the pilot and his co-pilot were distracted, while talking about the coronavirus pandemic in the country.
"When the control tower asked him [pilot] to increase the plane's height, the pilot said 'I'll manage'. There was overconfidence," Sarwar said.
According to the initial report, the plane was 100 percent fit for flying.
It had no technical fault. Flights were suspended due to corona, the plane took its first flight on May 7 and the crash happened on May 22.
In between, it completed six flights successfully; five to and from Karachi, and one to Sharjah.
"The pilot on the final approach did not identify any technical fault as well. At a distance of 10 miles from runway, the plane should have been at an altitude of 2,500 feet but it was around 7,220 feet. This was the first irregularity," he added.
He said that the control tower was at fault too for not pointing out the damage to the plane after a failed attempt at landing.
"The air traffic controller should have informed, when he saw the engines on fire. The control tower did not inform pilot, so it was at fault too. When the plane took off again, both engines were damaged," he said.
"He was an extremely experienced pilot. What is sad is that because of the overconfidence, and lack of focus of pilot and co-pilot, such a big incident happened. The interim report says cabin crew and control tower were also at fault."
The minister also spoke about past accidents, the Air Blue crash in 2010, Bojha Airlines crash in 2012, plane crash in Chitral in 2016, and the crash landing of a plane in Gilgit in 2019.
He said that Air Blue and Bojha Airlines crashes occurred due to "human error and various breaches of flying discipline".
He added that the technical fault in the Chitral incident was "so complicated" that the plane manufacturer itself had not been able to reach a conclusion yet.
The minister, however, promised that its inquiry report would be presented in August of this year.
The minister said that the government had observed that major airlines in other countries did not have such a history of crashes and therefore, started to investigate pilots.
There are 860 active pilots in the country, he said, adding that of these 860, 262 pilots did not even take their exams themselves.
Decrying that pilots were not hired on merit, the minister said that fake degrees and licenses were issued.
"Almost 40 per cent of pilots have fake licenses," he said, adding that they did not have flying experience either.
He added that the government had started to take action against all such pilots. "In the first phase, 54 such pilots were identified. Show cause notices were issued to 24 and nine others confessed that they were unqualified. "I believe this issue should not be politicised...it's a matter of national security. The inquiry has been free, fair, and transparent," he declared.
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