PIA Lahore to Karachi Airbus A320 Flight Crashes

[Abbas Ali]

According CAA sources quoted by GEO News, the aircraft with retracted landing gear touched runway surface at 2:20 PM. The aircraft climbed again to perform go-around and make another attempt for landing.

Eyewitnesses saw sparks on runway when the aircraft touched it with retracted landing gear.









Abbas

[SM]

Based on the emerging facts, it is quickly looking like what would have happened if AP-AYW had attempted to get airborne to make a second attempt at landing after its wheels up at OPRN on Feb 4, 1986. Thumbs up to the 1986 crews and thumbs down to those of 34 years later.

On the first attempt they called "established ILS 25L, 5 miles" while the tower responded that they were at "3,500 feet" which is too high for 5 miles. Tower offered vectors for a left 360 to reduce altitude but they declined. Accidentally landed with gears up, damaged engines in process, went around and completely lost engines on finals.

[daniyal 07]

It was not an accident, the landing gear wasnt deploying its even mentioned in the conversation between pilot and atc before the crash. The engine failing along with landing gear not being deployed indicates to the state in which pia is keeping its aircarft, unauthorized people who know nothing how to run an airline are being appointed as ceo so this crash isnt a surprise.

The investigation team is also paf so they will try to cover this whole negligance as one of their person is involved in it. Pia engineering along with ceo should be held accountable for this loss sad to say but pias aircraft are in ruins due to full time negligance. The only way is to hold these people accountable and replace them withsomeone who knows his work..just look at the ceo if etihad, emirates e.t.c they know what they are doing not a retired paf officer who knows nothing.

[oozeman64]

Have any transcripts of ATC conversation between PIA8303 and KHI Approach been released? Those would help us determine whether the first belly touchdown was an intentional belly landing attempt or not.

[rvlhassan]

I remember in past few years PIA A320s had hydraulics problems. Is there a possibility of this happening?

P.S: sorry for being a bit dumb, not very experienced

[Abbas Ali]

CEO PIA Air Marshal Arshad Malik at a press conference in Karachi informed:

Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR)/Flight Data Recorder (FDR) recovered from crash site and handed over Aircraft Accident Investigation Board (AAIB).

2 passengers survived
97 dead bodies (68 male, 26 female and 3 children) recovered from crash site

21 dead bodies identified and handed over to relatives/heirs
76 bodies to be identified through DNA matching

Aviation Minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan was also present at the press conference and informed:

Houses, damaged by crashed aircraft to be assessed by the government. Damaged properties to be repaired or rebuilt.

Owners of damaged cars/motor cycles to be compensated.

Efforts will be made to present preliminary report of the accident within three months.

Abbas

[Abbas Ali]

Replying to a question at a press conference today, Aviation Minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan said that the cockpit crew had not sought deployment of emergency services/arrangements on runway for an emergency landing.

Apparently it means the aircraft with retracted landing gear touched runway surface without seeking emergency services/arrangements on runway.

Abbas

[oozeman64]

If emergency services were not requested, then the belly touchdown must have been unintentional correct?

[nopy99]

Please be respectful of the crew and those that have perished and not let's be armchair investigators.

My comments based on the limited info publicly available:-

In the ATC audio, the gear unsafe alarm can be heard in the background.

If 25L was impacted by scraping of nacelles/cowlings then should a NOTAM have been issued closing the runway for inspection and repairs? Or should runway be closed until the investigators can collect the necessary evidence from it. There was another flight that landed 30 minutes later - which runway did it land 25L or 25R?

I always thought that extreme close proximity of housing colonies to threshold is a bad idea. Similar situation exists with Askari housing in Lahore.

I wonder if they had tried for 25R on 2nd attempt if things would have been different due to more open land and threshold location.

[rvlhassan]

Please be respectful of the crew and those that have perished and not let's be armchair investigators.

My comments based on the limited info publicly available:-

In the ATC audio, the gear unsafe alarm can be heard in the background.

If 25L was impacted by scraping of nacelles/cowlings then should a NOTAM have been issued closing the runway for inspection and repairs? Or should runway be closed until the investigators can collect the necessary evidence from it. There was another flight that landed 30 minutes later - which runway did it land 25L or 25R?

I always thought that extreme close proximity of housing colonies to threshold is a bad idea. Similar situation exists with Askari housing in Lahore.

I wonder if they had tried for 25R on 2nd attempt if things would have been different due to more open land and threshold location.

Definately should have been investigators on the runway. The situation was severely unclear due to media misreporting + other factors.

[A310]

Based on the emerging facts, it is quickly looking like what would have happened if AP-AYW had attempted to get airborne to make a second attempt at landing after its wheels up at OPRN on Feb 4, 1986. Thumbs up to the 1986 crews and thumbs down to those of 34 years later.

On the first attempt they called "established ILS 25L, 5 miles" while the tower responded that they were at "3,500 feet" which is too high for 5 miles. Tower offered vectors for a left 360 to reduce altitude but they declined. Accidentally landed with gears up, damaged engines in process, went around and completely lost engines on finals.

Abbas if you are judgemental enough to delete my post then you should be courteous enough to remove ‘kill’ from this person’s post. Admins are supposed to be fair. I’ve had enough of SM being insensitive and inconsiderate.

[Abbas Ali]

^ edited SM post.

Engines' scrape marks are present on runway surface, according to news reports.



An aircraft cleaner at Karachi Airport also witnessed aircraft engines' scraping on runway.

KARACHI: “It tried to land twice but its wheels were not coming out. And its belly touched the runway before the pilot pulled it up again. The second time he did that I saw one of its engines was on fire because it had brushed the runway. It didn’t return a third time but crashed here,” said Ijaz Masih, who witnessed the crash of the Pakistan International Airlines flight PK8303 in Model Colony, just a stone’s throw away from the Karachi airport on Friday afternoon.

The aircraft, an Airbus A320 carrying 91 passengers and eight crew members was coming to Karachi from Lahore before it crashed in the densely populated locality.

“I’m just a sweeper. I’m no expert. I was waiting for the flight to land and the passengers to disembark before I could go inside to clean the plane ahead of its next journey. But I wish the pilot had just landed in the muddy side strips of the runway instead of going up again and again,” said Masih, the eyewitness.

Source: https://www.dawn.com/news/1559061

Abbas

[TAILWIND]

If 25L was impacted by scraping of nacelles/cowlings then should a NOTAM have been issued closing the runway for inspection and repairs? Or should runway be closed until the investigators can collect the necessary evidence from it. There was another flight that landed 30 minutes later - which runway did it land 25L or 25R?

Exactly my question too. Now many sources, acquaintances/friends in CAA/Karachi Airport/PIA are almost confirming strongly about engines scraping the rwy during first approach/go around, yet no rwy closure for evidence gathering!

[Abbas Ali]

According to Express News channel:

Engines scrape marks on runway indicate that initially one engine touched runway and then some distance away there are scrape marks of both engines.

Abbas

[arshad.altaf]

Does Pakistan SIB have the capacity to retrieve recording from salvaged cockpit voice recorder and also the data recorder?

Arshad