KARACHI: A team of Pakistani and French investigators on Wednesday sifted through the wreckage of a Pakistani airliner that crashed in the southern city of Karachi last Friday, searching for clues around what caused the worst airline disaster in the country in years.
Investigators were also hunting for the Airbus A320 jet’s cockpit voice recorder, said a spokesman for Pakistan International Airlines (PIA).
“The flight data recorder has been found; the cockpit voice recorder is still being traced,” PIA’s spokesman told Reuters.
Earlier, the spokesman told media the black box had been found and it contained both the data and voice recorder.
Parts of the wreckage of the A320 were removed from the site on Wednesday after extracting them from building rubble in the densely populated area where the PIA jet crashed, residents and eyewitnesses said.
PIA flight PK 8303, flying from the eastern city of Lahore crashed roughly a kilometer short of the airport runway, killing 97 of the 99 people on board.
Under international aviation rules, French investigators from the BEA — the French air safety investigation authority for civil aviation — have joined the Pakistan-led probe because the 15-year-old Airbus jet was designed in France.
Their arrival was initially hampered by widespread travel bans in force to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The French team and technical representatives of Airbus and engine maker Safran had to be flown in on an Airbus A330-900 test plane.
The French team is now helping Pakistani authorities search for the cockpit voice recorder and examining the fuselage, which plowed between buildings and was partly buried under rubble.
There have been no reported deaths on the ground.
Particular focus will be on the plane’s CFM56 engines, one of which plunged into the side of a building, according to a person close to the investigation.
The engines were made by CFM International, a joint-venture of France’s Safran and General Electric, and are among the most widely used and reliable in the airline industry.
The pilot reported both engines had failed shortly after the plane bounced and scraped along the runway in a failed initial landing attempt.
He made no reference to a landing gear problem as the aircraft followed what appeared to be a steeper-than-usual descent, according to people close to the probe. Video showed the wheels extended on the second, fatal attempt to land.
Safety experts stress it is too early to say what caused the crash.
Investigators scour Pakistan air crash site for clues and cockpit voice recorder
https://arab.news/bcrep
Investigators scour Pakistan air crash site for clues and cockpit voice recorder
- Parts of the wreckage of the A320 were removed from the site on Wednesday
- PIA flight PK 8303, flying from Lahore crashed roughly a kilometer short of the airport runway, killing 97 people
Pakistan promotes JF-17 fighter at Saudi defense show amid export push
- Pakistan courts defense buyers at Riyadh show as it steps up military diplomacy and jet exports
- JF-17 drew global attention after last year’s India conflict, with officials calling it combat-tested
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s air force is promoting its JF-17 fighter jet and Super Mushshak military training aircraft at a major defense exhibition in Saudi Arabia, according to an official statement on Tuesday, as Islamabad intensifies efforts to expand arms exports following heightened regional tensions with India last year.
The exhibition comes as Pakistan leans on defense diplomacy to market the JF-17 to foreign buyers, pitching the jet as a cost-effective, combat-ready alternative for countries in the Middle East, Central Asia and Africa.
Interest in the aircraft has grown since a brief but sharp military confrontation with India in May last year, which Pakistani officials have cited as evidence that the fighter jet is combat-tested.
“Pakistan Air Force contingent is participating in the World Defense Show — 2026 in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, featuring its cutting-edge JF-17 Thunder Block-III Multi-role fighter jet and the highly acclaimed Super Mushshak basic trainer aircraft,” the military’s media wing, Inter-Services Public Relations(ISPR), said in a statement.
“World Defense Show 2026 serves as a premier global platform for defense and security,” it added. “PAF’s participation at WDS-2026 reinforces Pakistan’s position as an emerging hub of aerospace innovation, operational competence and reliable defense solutions.”
Pakistan has been seeking to convert defense exhibitions into export opportunities, particularly for the JF-17 — jointly developed with China — and the Super Mushshak trainer, which has already been inducted by several foreign air forces.
ISPR said PAF’s presence at the exhibition in Riyadh reflects its leadership’s vision of fostering defense cooperation, promoting defense exports and strengthening strategic partnerships with friendly nations.
“The exhibition provides an opportunity for international delegations, defense officials and military industry leaders to engage with PAF representatives and explore avenues for collaboration, training and technology transfer,” it added.
The event in Riyadh comes amid closer security ties between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.
During Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s visit to the Kingdom in September, the two countries signed a joint defense pact pledging that aggression against one would be treated as an attack on both.
The accord was widely viewed as a step to formalize long-standing military cooperation into a binding security commitment aimed at strengthening joint deterrence in an increasingly volatile region.
