Pakistan plane crash in May 2020 blamed on ‘human error’

Karachi: A Pakistan International Airlines plane crash that killed 101 people near the Jinnah International Airport here in May 2020 was a result of "human error" by the two pilots, according to the investigation report on the incident.

The Aircraft Investigation Board (AIB) finally released its report on the reasons for the Airbus 320 failing to land safely at the Karachi airport and instead crashing into a residential neighbourhood near the airport.

The board has held the failure of proper judgement while landing by the two pilots as the main reason for the fatal crash in which 101 people, including 99 passengers, lost their lives while two passengers miraculously survived.

Several houses in the neighbourhood and parked vehicles were destroyed and damaged in the disaster.

The report said the air traffic controller had four times warned the pilots that they shouldn’t land as their altitude was not right.

According to the report, when the pilots first tried to land the aircraft, its engines hit the ground, which led to the system supplying lubricant to the engines shutting down. The report said that “engine failure” eventually led to the crash.

The report also held the PIA and the Civil Aviation Authority responsible for not having clear procedures on whether pilots should fast during the month of Ramadan while on duty.

The AIB also noted that after the engine failure, the power supply went off in the aircraft and the last four minutes of the flight were not recorded on the data box. The pilots have also been held responsible for not being in sync with each other when trying to land the plane.

Airworthiness documents show that the Airbus A320 had been previously used by China Eastern Airlines from 2004 to 2014, following which it was inducted into the PIA’s fleet.

There have been eight recorded incidents of the PIA aircraft crashes between 1965 and 2020.