The initial plane crash report on the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flight # PK-8303 was presented on 22 June. The investigators held the pilot and Air Traffic Controller (ATC) responsible for this tragic plane crash that took the lives of 98 passengers. However, almost 60% of the public is not satisfied with the report due to its ambiguity.
According to the majority, this crash report does not address critical technicalities and goes with the traditional human error story. Which is why the concerned citizens had shared what they feel about the intended transparency of the report.
What Is In The Initial PIA Plane Crash Report?
After the crash, Airbus sent a team of 11 specialists to provide technical assistance to the team appointed by the federal government.
However, it was largely expected that the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) would also interfere in such a sensitive matter.
Nonetheless, the initial PIA plane crash report suggests that the pilot did not follow the landing protocols properly. It said he forgot to control the speed and elevation of the aircraft upon landing. It added that the pilot tried to take off the plane even though he touched the runway three times.
Additionally, the crash report held the ATC responsible for failing to communicate with the crashed flight. It argued that ATC should have warned the pilot to land when he touched the runway.
The report concluded that the pilot and ATC are responsible for the plane crash which is convenient for the operators, as criticized by the public. The final investigation is still pending and said to be available in 3 months.
The initial crash report has received mixed opinions from different people. Some have agreed that the pilot may have made a mistake but majority is content that the report is hiding technical faults to blame it on a human error.
Public Response To The Crash Report
Many people have been suggesting a deep investigation in this matter ever since the crash. This twitter user shares an audio log as presented by Sky News to remind everyone what the pilot experienced before the crash. He clearly declared a life threatening emergency and further detailed the loss of engines. The pilot described the condition as “serious” which could mean that he was facing an unresolvable problem in landing.
They have raised a question mark on the transparency of the crash report because it largely seems biased. This user suggests that the report should have discussed the technical disturbances the pilot was facing like failure to land, or engines getting seized.
They have also been disappointed by the lack of noise as many social media users are often seen making top trends to push different issues. It is clearly not a satisfactory investigation if different people have different unanswered questions; such as why only pilots are blamed instead of the top level management that makes more decisions about the aircraft than the pilot.
The report defended the maintenance and operation of the aircraft by claiming that the crash was not due to the technical fault. In response, few users demand explanation on how can PIA judge that their plane was flawless and pilot was not?
This user expresses disappointment in people for agreeing with an airline company like PIA for blaming a dead human over a flying machine; for which PIA is responsible for maintenance.
A former singer, Fakhr-E-Alam who is also a recreational pilot himself, was focused on the report rather than the alleged blame PIA is firing against the departed pilot. He claimed that any aviation expert can easily identify the long-standing problems that usually lead to the crash in the future. He added that the report must identify those issues so that technical accidents like these don’t happen.
Just like PIA rejected the pilot’s distress call as a technical failure, the public rejected PIA plane crash report as a bogus attempt at transparency that proves nothing. This user implies that the Government of Pakistan (GoP) is trying to dump their burden on the deceased pilot so they don’t have to deal with the incompetencies of PIA.
Finally, some folks suggested GoP and PIA to at least be transparent properly and address the main issues that were concealed from the public. If those shortcomings are always put under the rug like this case then similar crashes would continue to happen, this user meant:
History Of Plane Crashes In PIA
To date, 19 fatal accidents have been recorded including the devastating crash in Karachi. The very first PIA plane crash occurred in 1956 after only a decade of becoming operational. Below is the list of all fatal accidents including the pilot training sessions and excluding the hijack or other terrorism incidents. (Data Source: Aviation Safety. Net)
Sr | Date | Aircraft | Location | Fatalities |
1 | 25 Feb 1956 | Douglas C-47B (DC-3) | Mt. Lash Golath, Gilgit-Baltistan | 3 |
2 | 01 July 1957 | Douglas C-47A (DC-3) | Charlakhi Island, Bangladesh | 24 |
3 | 15 May 1958 | Convair CV-240-7 | Delhi-Palam Airport, India | 23 |
4 | 14 Aug 1959 | Vickers 815 Viscount | Karachi Int. Airport, Pakistan | 2 |
5 | 26 Mar 1965 | Douglas C-47A (DC-3) | Near Lowery Pass, Pakistan | 22 |
6 | 20 May 1965 | Boeing 720-040B | Near Cairo International, Egypt | 121 |
7 | 8 Oct 1965 | Fokker F-27 Friendship 200 | Near Patian, Pakistan | 4 |
8 | 06 Aug 1970 | Fokker F-27 Friendship 200 | Near Rawalpindi, Pakistan | 30 |
9 | 31 Dec 1970 | Fokker F-27 Friendship 200 | Near Shamshernagar Airport, Bangladesh | 7 |
10 | 12 Dec 1971 | Fokker F-27 Friendship 200 | Near Iran Border, Pakistan | 4 |
11 | 08 Dec 1972 | Fokker F-27 Friendship 600 | Near Jalkot, Pakistan | 26 |
12 | 16 Dec 1978 | Fokker F-27 Friendship 200 | Karachi, Pakistan | 1 |
13 | 26 Nov 1979 | Boeing 707-340C | Near Taif, Saudi Arabia | 156 |
14 | 23 Oct 1986 | Fokker F-27 Friendship 600 | Near Peshawar Airport, Pakistan | 13 |
15 | 25 Aug 1989 | Fokker F-27 Friendship 200 | Himalaya Mountains, Pakistan | 54 |
16 | 28 Sep 1992 | Airbus A300B4-203 | Near Kathmandu-Tribhuvan Airport, Nepal | 167 |
17 | 10 Jul 2006 | Fokker F-27 Friendship 200 | Near Multan Airport, Pakistan | 45 |
18 | 7 Dec 2016 | ATR 42-500 | Near Havelian, Pakistan | 47 |
19 | 22 May 2020 | Airbus A320-214 | Near Karachi Airport, Pakistan | 98 |