PESHAWAR: The Defence Ministry, while informing the Peshawar High Court about the progress of the AirBlue crash on Tuesday, said that it has directed the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to carry out a new investigation.
The Ministry of Defence informed the court that in compliance with the last hearing of the court, the report will be compiled within 90 days.
A two-member bench headed by Chief Justice PHC Dost Muhammad Khan was hearing the case.
The federal government informed the court that a notification was issued for the probe and that within the next 24 hours, the Defence Ministry will nominate experts for a 10-member committee headed by foreign air crash investigation officers.
The Defence Ministry informed the court that it had taken Rs30 million in order to issue succession certificates of Rs500,000 each to compensate the heirs of the victims of the crash, adding that a letter was written to the registrars of Sindh High Court and Islamabad High Court to assign a senior civil judge from each court to issue the certificates within 15 days.
The Defence Ministry also told the court that it had earlier asked the Ministry of Finance to release the funds and was told to ask the Maritime Security Agency for it.
Earlier, in December, the PHC had ordered AirBlue that compensation of Rs5 million should be made to each family within the deadline ending on March 20.
Representatives of AirBlue informed the court that till now, families of 72 victims have been compensated and 10 people more will be compensated soon, adding that the remaining 56 people who have sued AirBlue for higher claims will only be compensated once they withdraw the cases filed against the airline.
The PHC observed that the remaining heirs should be compensated regardless of the cases.
The court also directed AirBlue and Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), carrying out the DNA tests, that all the reports should be presented before the court in the next hearing on March 27.
The PHC had rejected the inquiry report conducted by the CAA and had termed it ‘incomplete.’ The court had also issued contempt notices to federal secretaries for law and defence for their failure to meet court orders in the case.
The case was filed by MNA Marvi Memon and the victims’ families which had said that the interrogation seemed unsatisfactory and unattended from many aspects.
(With additional reporting from our correspondent Azam Khan.)
COMMENTS (16)
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@Hassan:
First of all, I am deeply sorry about the loss of your brother.
I agree. I have suggested that more details are needed on the captain's background and flying career. It is not enough to say he had 26,000 hours which is all that the report said. Some details of the first officers career in the PAF would also be useful -- including information on why he left and how well he did when he converted onto an A321.
The captain would have been very familiar with the EGPWS! Why not? Possibly not the enhanced version (which is look-ahead) in the other less-modern aircraft he flew in PIA but certainly the old GPWS.
I don't know what you mean by Airbus and ATC carrying out "exercises to manage the situation".
Finally, the numerous safety recommendations in the report, if implemented, are intended to prevent such accidents from happening again.
@Jat
I don't know if you are being serious or not. I have heard the suicide theory before. It is patently absurd -- but I suppose you could say that about every dead pilot.
On the issue of sensitive airspace, if you read the report he did NOT violate restricted airspace (but was awfully close to one as he would be since he was off-course).
My brother was on board that flight. We are not finding conspiracy theories. We believe that other than the pilot, there are other responsible parties involved too. If pilot made a mistake, then why he made that mistake. Was he trained enough for EGPWS warnings. How many times has airblue and air traffic control carried out exercises to manage such a situation.
Unfortunately we act once an incident has happened. We don't invest in preventing the accidents from happening.
The original report just says, pilot was fully rested. There should have been details of conversations he had in last 24 hours. Interviews of people he met. Medical reports etc. Its a long talk.
@Meekal Ahead Totally agreed and very well summarized. I wonder why we have to find conspiracy theories about everything.
@Cautious: Haha yes, like the Warren Commission and 9/11 Commissions investigations right? You make me laugh with your ignorance.
@meekal ahmed: Hello, am quite impressed with your aviation knowledge, and pleasantly surprised that you believe in civilized and meaningful discussion.
Using your expertise I would request you to consider the possibility that the captain of the aircraft did it on purpose. That is, he was on some sort of a suicide mission and also that at some point of time the ATC decided that there was something fishy and asked the airforce for help. As I understand, the flight path of the aircraft was over some sensitive installations.
@Cautious:
I am aware of the lines of authority in Pakistan!
I wonder how many people here have read the report and have understood it because it is highly technical in parts and you won't have a clue of what you are reading unless you have SOME aviation background -- as well as some knowledge how what a modern glass-cockpit fly-by-wire aircraft like the A321 operates.
Most here probably cannot tell an A321 from an MD-11 but they are quick to offer an opinion! .
I agree that the military has not told us, the Pakistani people, the truth about any event, in 64 years.
But this is a huge first. It is a breakthrough! Thanks to Ms Marvi Memon and the PHC, we have before us the first air accident report in 64 years. All the others, at Cairo, Taif, Khatmandu, the Northern Areas and East Pakistan remain shrouded in secrecy, buried somewhere. All we, the traveling public ( who have a right to know and especially about what is being done to improve air safety if there have been safety lapses or criminal negligence), are left to feed on is rumors, false flags, lies and disinformation.
Thus, for once we can and should rejoice. You have the CVR and the DFDR. Look at it, study it, think about it and think about what must have been going on in that cockpit in the final moments of the flight.
This is a classic, vintage CFIT (Controlled-Flight-Into-Terrain) accident. I said that the second day after the accident right here on Express Tribune and everyone (except one gentleman, a retired PAF officer who agreed with me and even went on Pakistan TV) trashed me. They wondered whose views I was "propagating" -- as though I was some paid CIA agent.
Maybe they still think so.
Does what you see in this case sound incredible? Yes, it is quite incredible that the captain disregarded 25 warnings from the EGPWS for a full seventy seconds before impact -- not to mention the warnings, nay, the pleading from his First Officer to "turn back" and/or "pull up, Sir".
WHY did he ignore the warnings? THAT is more difficult to figure out since he is not with us. Fatigue, over-confidence, complacency, loss of situational awareness, spatial disorientation, arrogance, confusion, tension about the weather, relative inexperience in glass-cockpit flying, and so on. Here you have to look at the man: his background, experience, training, health issues, family problems, financial problems, previous mishaps, bad write-up's by his superiors, and so on. Was he a good airman, a really good aircraft commander? -- never mind that he had 26,000 hours of flight experience.
Perhaps he was not?
The facts are out there. This was a CFIT and not a 100 reports can/will change that.
Understanding WHY it happened is an art that extends far beyond aviation alone. Even the best minds in accident investigation sometimes cannot come up with firm answers and explain everything. That is what makes these reports, to me at least, so fascinating.
Some 20 months after the crash the Ministry of Defence has decided to carry out a new investigation. They need to explain why? These people should also inform the public what were the errors made in the previous enquiry, otherwise we will be justified in thinking that is an attempted cover-up.
No matter how many times the probe should be conducted, the primary question is that did the Air Blue paid the compensation amount to all the legal heirs of the people who died in the crash, as they will never return back in this world.
@meekal ahmed. Pakistan military oversees the airlines and Pakistan military has never acknowledge a mistake -- that alone is prima facie reason why the entire investigation should be outsourced to someone who is independent. Few expected this report to be timely, fair or accurate and it would appear that their expectations were met. What amazes me is how the military escapes any blame for these blunders.
@Cautious: There were outside accredited representatives. Go to the CAA web-site to see their comments on the report.
It is most unusual for a CAA of any country to simply hand over the entire investigation to outsiders -- no matter how well qualified they may be. By all means, however, lean heavily on their expertise and let them do the sophisticated work like produce 3-D diagrams and computer animations.
God will help us to know the truth behind this crash Inshallah. Regards, Haris Lodhi Son of Shireen Lodhi (Shaheed) Victim of Air Blue Crash
You should have originally brought in outside assistance - preferably outsourcing the entire investigation to the Americans' which would have brought you an accurate, unbiased and professional investigation and a report which would have been both credible and timely.
@Jat:
If it was shot down, where are the debris?
Even if it staggered on, it would have been shedding fiery parts along the way which would have landed somewhere.
How come there are no violent movements recorded on the flight data recorder that would be consistent with a missile impacting the aircraft?
How come there is no reaction from the crew?
Good! It's still not, too, late------as long as a thorough and honest probe is done and all the big fish involved in hushing up must be exposed and shamed and punished. This involves a huge loss and great personal tragedy to the victims and their kins and all those powerful people involved in the 'cover-up' must be made to answer to us the public at large. No one should be spared, no matter which position and what political connection. Marvi Memon has done a great public service and must be a guiding light to all those who pretend at public service. Thanks to Marvi Memon.
The cockpit voice recorder and the flight data recorder do not lie. By all means, present the FULL read-out in an annexure as per standard international practice and not just selective passages in the main text. The "Probable Cause" will not change.
There should be more diagrams, preferably 3-D diagrams and a computer animation/simulation of the final part of the flight.
The revised report should also take into account the comments of the US NTSB and the French BEA. The text should be modified accordingly.
This plane was shot down. Why does the PAK army lie to its people each and every time ?