PIA plane crash: Palpa for involving ICAO, IFALPA into probe

Pakistan Airline Pilots' Association (Palpa) has raised serious reservations over the ability of Safety Investigation Board (SIB) for air crash investigation, demanding involvement of International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and International Federation of Air Line Pilots' Associations (IFALPA) for transparent inquiry.

Expressing deepest sorrow on the sad demise of passengers and crew members of flight PK-8303 and the residents of Jinnah Garden, Captain Narejo, general secretary Palpa said the loss of innocent lives has saddened the whole nation and demanded proper investigation of the crash as per the international standards, involving esteemed bodies like ICAO and IFALPA.

"As per the communications between the pilot and air traffic control, it can be ascertained that the airplane had developed a technical fault and it was unable to land," he said, however, he added that the reason behind the crash can only be determined after a thorough investigation.

He also suggested that in addition to the technical investigation about the aircraft's health prior to the flight, the investigators must consider the working conditions of the ground staff and the flight crew.

These are the unfortunate incidents which Palpa strives to avoid by following internationally acknowledged air safety rules to make Pakistani airspace safest for flying. Unfortunately Palpa has always faced criticism for demanding safety procedures and highest technical upkeep of aircraft and following international safety rules and regulations.

"We appeal to the PIA management and the government to immediately order an inquiry into the incident and make its report available as soon as possible," he added.

"We demand a proper Board of investigation including Palpa Representative. We will not accept the way the investigation carried out in the past and will not accept any inquiry of this accident without the inclusion of Palpa," he added.

Moreover, he also said that Palpa has serious reservations over SIB's abilities because of its role in the past and added that there was a dire need to restructure SIB to ensure professional and thorough inquiries of accidents. "To date, no complete report of this board has been received. We also suggest that after this incident, a competent board other than SIB should also be formed," he added.