From:
Captain Asim Nawaz
Wing Cdr. (Retd) Bsc Aero=Sciences, LLM.
SUGGESTION TO CONSTITUTE NEUTRAL INVESTIGATION BOARD TO INVESTIGATE IN TO THE CRASH OF PIA, A-320 AIRCRAFT NEAR KARACHI AIRPORT
After seeing a long letter from PALPA to try to twist the facts and a letter from Ministry for constitution of investigation team to investigate in the PIA A320 accident. I wish to write the factual chain of events, which led to the accident over model colony only few hundred feet before the runway.
I have seen the Radar picture, which shows that after making a gear up landing, pilot damaged the engines and made a go around in which he made a very wide turn and went for away from the runway to come for 2nd approach. After go around aircraft went out of the gliding range. It is confirmed that ATC controller saw sparks while aircraft made gear up landing, so why ATC allowed him to go that far from the runway. ATC should have directed the pilot to make immediate emergency landing.
After having gone round with damage to engines, pilot should have remained close to runway for making subsequent approach for landing or he should have tried emergency landing at Faisal runway which is very close and requires very less turning after go around from runway 25L Karachi. Pilot realized very late that he is in emergency when his damaged engines flamed out at 1800 feet. Most probably he was unable to appreciate the damage done to engines on gear up landing, so he asked for another ILS approach for runway25L. After coming from Lahore when pilot commenced descend till final crash the Pilot of PK 8303 had following possible options to save crew and passengers.
(A.) He should have gone around to adjust for stabilized approach when told by ATC that he was high on approach.
(B). When he was high on approach and still opting to land from the same approach, the pilot should have lowered landing gears immediately to quickly reduce height due to drag produced by the landing gears, which was the best option available, whereas pilot forgot to lower gears at all which resulted in to high speeds on final approach followed landing on belly and engines contacted the runway surface.
(C). After landing on belly pilot should have let the aircraft stop by using air brakes, which in that situation was the best option to save passengers by making emergency evacuation, but he chose to GA around by applying TOGA thrust (take off go around Thrust), which was the worst option to take off with damaged engine, which shows that the Captain was not aware of the damage to the engines.
(D). After takeoff from abandoned landing Captain asked for the subsequent landing to adjust for stabilized approach. For the info of all Pilots that for a stabilized approach you are required to go back for 10 miles away from the runway landing side and after go around till landing it requires at least 10 - 12 min in the air to prepare to landing.
(E). As pilot had asked for another stabilized approach that means he was not aware of the damage done to aircraft engines till the time he lost his engines at 1800 feet above ground during climb, which he announced to ATC, when he was not left with any choice than to make an emergency forced landing.
(F). When pilot lost engines he was very close to final approach path of Faisal runway, which was within the gliding range of the aircraft and was possible to make forced landing at Faisal runway and it require only 90 degrees right turn to land at FAISAL runway 26, but he did not exercise this option to save crew and passengers, which shows lack of situational awareness.
(G). After losing engines he was trying to make forced landing at Karachi runway 25L and lowered the landing gears, which increased drag, so it increased aircraft descend rate which made it impossible for the aircraft to reach runway or to reach the undershoot prepared surface and crashed only few hundred feet before runway.
(H). From the Radar painted track picture the aircraft went far away from the runway after go around and was almost over Korangi industrial area, which took aircraft away from the gliding range. It again reflect that pilot was not aware that he was in emergency situation and what ATC and Karachi Radar did not react to force the aircraft to make an immediate landing.
(J) One Cool May Day call after series of neglects to SOPs, contempt to ATC instructions to lose height in a turn after becoming high on final approach and being unaware of the emergency situation does not make the Captain a hero, who is the sole guilty for the loss of lives of 95 innocent people. Still my prayers for his departed soul, but PIA associations may not be allowed to play their game on the dead body of the deceased captain for their vested interests, as PIA is already hijacked by the politically backed employees.
(H). PALPA is the necessary party, which is a contributory factor for apportioning possible blame, so why a member from PALPA is detailed by the government to conduct crash investigation and I am sure PALPA member is being detailed to twist investigation to avoid blame of creating an emergency and then mishandling the emergency.
(J) The facts about the accident are well known to entire world and ICAO is also aware of the factual situation of the crash, so any effort to twist the investigation under the political influence and under the illegal pressure from PIA association may be disastrous for Pakistani aviation in general and for PIA in particular due to loss of travelerās confidence in PIA safety record.\
(K). Both PIA and CAA are jointly responsible for the crash so no member from PIA and CAA be detailed for fair investigation in to the crash. There are many flight safety experts in all Pakistani private airline, who are deployed in field of aviation purely on merits, as businessmen cannot afford to compromise on standards, so there should be an investigation team of neutral experts under the headship of President AAIB (Aircraft Accident Investigation Board) of Pakistan to investigate in to the causes of accident and to give findings and recommendation to avoid such occurrences in future to save Pakistanās aviation Industry.
I decided to give my view as a service to the nation, because we cannot afford to lose more aircraft due to our own failures and attitudes. I am a Post Graduate in Aviation Safety and Aircraft Accident Investigation with additional degree of B, Sc. Aero-Sciences and LLM. I am Ex-Captain of A320, Boeing707, Boeing737, C-130s and Super King Air, with huge instructional experience on all aircraft with clean flight safety record. I have the added experience of flying VVIPs during my service in PAF and had also had been flying with President of Afghanistan (late) Prof. Burhan Uddin Rabbani on deputation. I am 66 years old and not looking for any job or favours, but I do care for aviation industry whom I have given 45 years of my life to train pilots and served different airlines and PAF.
Humble regards.