Unfit to fly: Challan of ‘inebriated’ Shaheen Airlines pilot presented to ATC

Flight NL-154 crash landed at Allama Iqbal International on November 3

LAHORE: Sarwar Road police on Saturday presented a challan of the inebriated pilot of a Shaheen Airlines aircraft that had crash landed at Allama Iqbal International Airport on November 3.

The Prosecution Department has forwarded the challan after which the case will be fixed for hearing at Anti-Terrorism Court where proceedings against Captain Asmat Mehmood will commence on December 30.

A police official told The Express Tribune that Mehmood has been held guilty of piloting the aircraft under the influence of alcohol in the challan. According to the challan, he said, an investigation had revealed that the pilot had started descending the aircraft from a height of 5,000 feet and ignored the directives of ATC officials. The official said the document stated that the ATC had directed Mehmood to commence descent from a height of 3,000 feet—the standard to initiate landing but he had ignored its directives, paving the way for the crash landing to transpire.

He said the challan also noted that a medical examination of Mehmood had revealed that the alcohol level in his blood stood at 83mg per decilitre at the time of the incident—much higher than the permissible level of 40mg per decilitre. The official said the document also stated that the pilot was also carrying liquor.

He said the challan noted that many passengers had been injured in the incident, which could have potentially caused harm to people present at the airport and in its vicinity.

Flight NL-142 of Shaheen Airlines carrying 121 passengers and crew members had made a crash landing at Allama Iqbal International Airport on November 3. The tyres of the aircraft had burst on impact and it had later veered off the runway. Over 10 people were injured in the incident.

The Civil Aviation Authority of Pakistan (CAA) had registered a complaint against Mehmood at Sarwar Road police station under Section-7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act, Section 324 of the Pakistan Penal Code and CAA Rules 113,114, 115, 117 and 133.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 27^th, 2015.