ISLAMABAD: A Pakistan International Airlines plane crash in Karachi last month, which killed 97 people aboard, was caused by the pilots’ overconfidence and lack of focus, revealed an initial inquiry report into the incident that was unveiled in the National Assembly of Pakistan on Wednesday.
“Several warnings and alerts related to speed, landing gear and ground proximity were disregarded [by the air crew],” said the 21-page report that was shared by the country’s aviation minister, Ghulam Sarwar Khan, with his colleagues in parliament.
Shortly after the crash, critics and opposition members lambasted Prime Minister Imran Khan and his administration for its failure to improve the national flag carrier’s performance and skills of its technical staff, including pilots. The country has a spotty record of aviation safety, and it has witnessed frequent plane and helicopter crashes over the years.
The PIA Airbus A320 crashed last month in a densely populated residential neighborhood in Karachi that is situated near the Jinnah International Airport, killing all but two of the 97 people on board. The ill-fated flight PK8303 from Lahore came down about a kilometer short of the runway on its second attempt to land.
“The landing was undertaken with landing gears retracted … Both engines scrubbed the runway at various locations causing damage to both of them,” the inquiry report said.
The minister also revealed on the basis of Flight Data Recorder (FDR) and Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) that the pilots were not focused.
“The pilots were discussing the coronavirus throughout the flight. They were not focused … There was overconfidence,” Khan said.
The minister also blamed the control tower for not pointing out damage to the plane after a botched attempt at landing. “The pilots and the controller failed to follow the standard rules,” he noted.
There was no technical fault in the plane and both the pilots were medically fit to fly, the minister continued, adding that the pilot retracted the landing gears at a distance of five nautical miles from the runway even though they were extended before.
Khan said the plane was on auto-landing, but the pilot disengaged it.
Pakistan has witnessed 12 plane crash incidents since its inception in 1947, and the minister attributed the staggering statistics to the lack of merit within the organization.
“Unfortunately, the degrees of four of our pilots were found bogus while forty percent pilots have fake licenses,” he said while vowing to restructure the national airlines and take action against all those responsible for making “political appointments.”
Pakistan has 860 active pilots while 262 of them did not appear in the exam themselves, revealed the minister, adding that the accountability will be ensured.
“An inquiry has been initiated into the fake licenses of pilots,” Khan added.
PIA crash that killed 97 caused by pilots’ 'overconfidence' — preliminary report
https://arab.news/bqg5e
PIA crash that killed 97 caused by pilots’ 'overconfidence' — preliminary report
- Aviation minister says there was no technical fault in the plane and the pilots were medically fit to fly
- Shocks his listeners by telling them that 40 percent of the pilots in the country have fake licenses
Pakistan showcases smart solutions, tech innovation at ITCN Asia expo in Lahore
- ITCN Asia is Pakistan’s largest information and communications technology exhibition and conference
- It highlights developments in cybersecurity, cloud computing, AI, e-commerce and digital governance
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is showcasing its growing technology sector at the 27th edition of ITCN Asia at the Expo Center in Lahore, bringing together innovators, startups, investors and policymakers for one of the country’s premier technology exhibitions, Pakistani state media reported on Saturday.
ITCN Asia is Pakistan’s largest information and communications technology exhibition and conference, which is regularly held to highlight developments in fields including cybersecurity, cloud computing, artificial intelligence, e-commerce and digital governance.
The three-day event, which began on Saturday, focuses on networking, knowledge-sharing and lead generation, with conferences facilitating a learning environment for tech enthusiasts and professionals.
Speaking at the inauguration ceremony, Information Technology Minister Shaza Fatima Khawaja called ITCN Asia a “distinguished” global event showcasing tech advancement in Pakistan, the Radio Pakistan broadcaster reported.
“Pakistan’s use of cybersecurity has put the country on the forefront of technological advancement and strengthened global trust in our technology sector,” she was quoted as saying.
The exhibition features more than 850 booths, over 3,000 global brands, international delegates, investors and government leaders, according to the organizers.
Pakistan’s Special Technology Zones Authority (STZA) is showcasing electric vehicle and electronics assembly by global brands, including BYD, Samsung and Google at the exhibition.
The STZA has set up a national pavilion at the exhibition with facilitation from the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC), according to a statement issued by the cabinet division.
The move is part of Pakistan’s efforts to boost foreign investment in its technology sector as the country’s startups and software houses have attracted global interest in recent years. Pakistan’s IT exports rose by $180 million to $1,057 million during
July-September last year, compared with $877 million in the same period of 2024, according to the information technology ministry.
Pakistan’s technology sector is also advancing in AI and cloud computing, marked by the launch of Pakistan’s first sovereign AI cloud in November, designed to keep sensitive data domestic and support growth in the broader digital ecosystem.
