May Day! May Day!

By Asma Nisar | July 2020

On 22 May 2020, Pakistan International Airlines Flight 8303, a scheduled domestic flight, left Allama Iqbal International Airport in Lahore for Jinnah International Airport in Karachi. Once near the Karachi Airport, the A320 ran into problems and crashed in Model Colony, a populated residential area a few kilometers from the runway. This was its second approach after a failed first landing attempt. Of the 91 passengers and eight crew on board, 97 were killed, while two passengers survived with injuries. Eight people on the ground were also injured. One of them died later.

The flight was piloted by Captain Sajjad Gul and first officer Usman Azam. It took off from Lahore shortly after 1:00 p.m. and was near the end of its 90-minute journey when it crashed at around 2:45 p.m. in the Karachi neighbourhood at around 3 kilometers (1.9 miles) from the airport. The aircraft's wings were reported as being on fire in the moments before the plane crashed into rooftops.

The pilot had made an initial aborted landing attempt. He later radioed air traffic control, reporting landing gear issues and the failure of both engines. The ATC confirmed to the pilot that he was cleared to use either of the airport's two runways.

According to PIA's CEO, Air Marshal Arshad Malik, a technical fault prompted the pilot to make a go-around rather than land, even though both runways were available to him. The pilot told the controller, "We are returning back, sir, we have lost engines." Twelve seconds later, he declared a mayday emergency, which was the final communication with the aircraft.

According to officials from Pakistan's Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), complications had arisen during the aircraft's first descent. The landing gear was still in the retracted position when the aircraft attempted its first landing. Friction marks on the runway suggested there had been some ground contact; at the runway's 1,400-metre (4,500 ft) mark, the plane's left engine is believed to have scraped the runway, while at the 1,700-metre (5,500 ft) mark, the right engine made contact.

When the pilot went around, it is believed damage had already been caused to both engines from this contact, leading to engine failure after the go-around. This, in turn, made it impossible for the aircraft to maintain altitude, causing it to crash during its return to the runway. This is supported by the conversation between the aircraft and air traffic control which indicates that the aircraft was constantly losing altitude Observers noted that the plane's backup ram air turbine was deployed, the purpose of which is to supply power to the aircraft’s's control systems when both engines have failed.

It was reported that the pilot had ignored warnings from air traffic control about the height and speed of the aircraft on approach. At 2:30 pm the plane was 15 nautical miles from Karachi, flying at an altitude of 10,000 feet instead of the recommended 7,000 feet, when ATC issued its first warning to reduce altitude. Instead of descending, the pilot responded by saying that he was satisfied with the altitude. When only 10 nautical miles from the airport, the aircraft was at an altitude of 7,000 feet instead of 3,000 feet. ATC issued a second warning to descend. The pilot responded again by stating that he was satisfied and able to handle the situation and that he was prepared for landing. The pilot had a flying experience of 18,000 flight hours.

PIA released details of the flight manifest which showed 91 passengers (51 men, 31 women, and 9 children); there were also eight crew members. The death toll was confirmed as 97, consisting solely of those on board the plane but later one of those injured on the ground died. The Pakistani model and actress Zara Abid was one of the flight's passengers. All the crew members were residents of Lahore.

Pakistan had allowed domestic flights to resume, following suspension during the COVID-19 pandemic, six days earlier. Since the crash occurred during the last days of Ramadan, many people were travelling to celebrate Eid al-Fitr with their families.

Like many other airlines, PIA too has a stained record of accidents. According to the website planecrashinfo.com PIA’s accident rate is the highest among more than 80 airlines. The record of Pakistan’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) is no better.

After the crash, an investigation committee was set up by the government. The committee was led by the President of the Aircraft Accident and Investigation Board (AAIB) Air Commodore Muhammad Usman Ghani along with AAIB Additional Director Technical Investigation, Wing Commander Malik Muhammad Imran, Operations Investigator of the Pakistan Air Force Safety Board Kamra, Group Captain Touqeer and Joint Director Air Traffic Control Operations AAIB Nasir Majeed. An aviation expert associated with the inquiry commission hinted that the crash was a result of human error, coupled with faulty equipment.

Air Safety

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