Plane crashes into 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 into a residential area just a kilometer from the runway of 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 Allama Iqbal International Airport in Lahore at 1:10 p.m. for Jinnah International Airport in Karachi.
The Airbus A320 attempted to land at Karachi Airport at 2:37 p.m., but due to a hard landing, the captain attempted a go-around. However, the plane was unable to complete its second landing attempt and crashed in the densely populated Jinnah Garden area, just a kilometer from the runway.
The AAIB report, available on the Aviation Ministry’s website, said the accident occurred because both engines of the plane stopped due to human error. The report also indicated multiple communication failures and problems.
Before the first landing attempt, the air traffic controller (ATC) warned the captain four times that the plane’s altitude was too high. However, on the fifth communication, ATC cleared 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 due to a malfunction in the system that supplied them with lubricating oil.
The report highlighted a lack of communication and coordination between pilots and ATC.
CCTV footage from the airport runway showed the plane’s landing gear was not deployed during the landing attempt. The captain communicated with the control tower for one minute and 16 seconds during the turn and go-around on the runway, reporting that the landing gear was stuck and the engines were inoperative.
