KARACHI:
Investigators investigating the K2 Airways cargo plane crash are examining the possibility of a malfunction in the plane’s inertial reference system (IRS), as well as spatial disorientation, as possible causes of the crash, while the plane’s black box, engines, fuselage and crew have yet to be recovered.
According to sources, preliminary investigations focus on a possible technical failure in the plane’s Inertial Reference System (IRS), along with the possibility that the pilots had experienced spatial disorientation before the accident.
Sources said the IRS is a critical navigation system that provides pilots with information on the aircraft’s position, direction of travel, flight attitude and speed. The system is capable of operating independently without depending on external navigation signals.
Researchers are also examining the possibility of spatial disorientation, a highly dangerous aviation condition in which a pilot loses precise awareness of the aircraft’s actual position, direction or movement and perceives a false sense of orientation.
According to sources, during the preliminary investigation, attention was drawn to a failure in the plane’s navigation system. They added that shortly before the accident, the flight crew had requested guidance from air traffic control.
Meanwhile, on the fifth day of the salvage and rescue operation on Saturday, recovery teams were still unable to locate the plane’s black box.
Sources said the plane’s engines and flight data recorder are critical pieces of evidence in determining the cause of the crash. Investigators believe that once the black box is recovered and its data decoded, a clearer picture of the events leading up to the crash is expected to emerge.
