A plane crashed in a residential area near Jinnah airport, killing 97 people and injuring two others.
KARACHI:
May 22 marked the sixth anniversary of the crash of a Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flight from Lahore in a residential area just a kilometer from the runway at Karachi’s Jinnah International Airport, killing 97 people and injuring two others.
On Friday, May 22, 2020, the ill-fated PIA flight PK 8303, with 91 passengers and eight crew members on board, took off from Lahore’s Allama Iqbal International Airport at 1:10 pm towards Jinnah International Airport in Karachi.
The Airbus A320 plane attempted to land at Karachi airport at 2:37 pm, but due to a rough landing, the captain attempted to turn around. However, the plane could not complete the second landing attempt and crashed in the densely populated neighborhood of Jinnah Garden, just a kilometer from the runway.
The AAIB report, available on the Ministry of Aviation’s website, states that the accident occurred because both engines of the plane shut down due to human error. The report also indicated multiple failures and miscommunications.
Before the first landing attempt, the air traffic controller (ATC) had warned the captain four times that the plane’s altitude was too high. However, in the fifth communication, ATC authorized the landing.
During the first landing attempt, the plane’s engines hit the runway and sparked, but ATC did not inform the pilot. Due to the impact, both engines were affected as the system that supplies them with lubricating oil failed.
The report highlighted a lack of communication and coordination between pilots and ATC.
CCTV footage from the airport runway showed that the plane’s landing gear was not deployed during the landing attempt. The captain contacted the control tower for one minute and 16 seconds during the runway go-around, reporting that the landing gear was jammed and the engines had failed.
