“You can only imagine your death and a countdown to your final minutes,” said *Aslam Khan, one of the passengers on PK-756, recalling the moment he was told that the airplane was under attack minutes before it landed at Bacha Khan International Airport on June 24.
“I heard that the engine had failed and the plane was going to crash. People were reciting the Kalma-e-Shahadat loudly and two minutes later someone shouted, ‘A woman has been injured!’” Khan says a rumour spread that the plane’s empennage (tail) was on fire and passengers unfastened their seat belts, rushing towards the front of the plane.
Cabin crew attempted to avoid a stampede, telling passengers to remain seated, keep their heads down and their seat belts fastened. Khan told The Express Tribune that no one heeded the warning. Another passenger shouted that he saw lightning and heard three blasts. “I was confused as other passengers were saying the engine had failed,” said *Naeem Raza, who added that it took a few minutes to land the plane after this burst of panic.
On June 24, gunmen shot at Pakistan International Airlines flight PK-756 as it was landing at the Bacha Khan International Airport, killing a woman and injuring two others, including a crew member.
The plane was carrying 178 passengers and crew members, and was travelling from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. According to the initial report on the incident, the PIA plane was hit 10 times, however, the pilot managed to land the aircraft safely three minutes after the attack.
Ijaz Afridi, a flight steward, was seated on a jumpseat when he was hit by a bullet. “It felt like someone slapped me,” he said. “My friend told me I was bleeding and before I could say anything, two more bullets hit my body. My friend tried to hold me but I could not stand as a bullet hit my leg.”
As the plane landed, crew members appealed to passengers to allow the injured to leave the plane first. The female passenger, Maqnoon Begum, was rushed away in an ambulance. Ijaz is currently receiving treatment at the Combined Military Hospital (CMH) in Peshawar. His brother Ayaz said Pakistan International Airlines officials had made efforts to care for his brother, but the federal and provincial government had yet to inquire after his health.
*The names of passengers have been changed upon request.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 28th, 2014.
COMMENTS (13)
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U.S. Military plane use to crash if & when the cargo of trucks or tanks break loose and slide toward the tail during takeof. Stampede toward the exit or away from fire can crush n kill easily, the slow or fallen passengers. It's common sense & proven by history.
@Ali: He is right. A Saudi plane was stalled and crash in 70's, when due to a stove fire at front all passengers massed in the tail pulling the plane down back.
Sadia: " I tend to believe it may have been from a marriage type event where people may have showcased their firepower."
Umm. did you read about the use of tracer bullets to shoot accurately as it was nighttime, and also the modification of the AK47 used for shooting by extending the barrel length. If it was a marriage celebration, those were some really happy baratis, I'd say.
@Jibran: No.
The reaction of passengers in an emergency is worrying, but its no surprise. Most passengers on flights to Pakistan do not even listen to the most basic instructions of the cabin crew regarding seat belts, sitting on the right seat and use of mobile phones are the obvious ones. Some are not literate enough to understand while others just seem to think that being ignorant is cool. Blind panic is inevitible at the slightest sign of emergency and the crew would not be able to restore order.
I'm certain more people would be injured in exiting the aircraft in an emergency by passengers crushing each other than by the nature of the emergency. I would almost recommend that in case of a situation that requires an emergency exit on such flights, unless there is a obvious, immediate danger, its safer to let most of the passengers jump over each other in the stampede to escape before attempting to get out.
@?? Jibran is right, congregating at the front of the plan will cause the nose to get heavier. It will create its own problem. Not being seated during approach to landing can cause injuries. Although reaction dictates to move away from the seat, common sense is to sit where you are hoping you wont be fired. Aircrafts are not designed for these types of events. If you are in Pakistan, probability of getting killed, sitting inside the home is the same as getting killed by a stray bullet fired at an airplane. Probability of getting killed in pakistan is higher. Who cares how that happens. Clueless establishment doesn't even have the faintest idea about what exactly happened. I tend to believe it may have been from a marriage type event where people may have showcased their firepower.
@jibran Cant believe your are putting physics there. Lets put you under similar situation and see how you would react.
*The names of passengers have been changed upon request. "Maqnoon Begum".....seriously???? Couldn't you have come up with another name!!!!
@Ali: Physics does not need to be applied on aircrafts. It is already there. You just need to understand it.
@ Jibran: Seriously, you are applying physics here????
Really horrifying to see the recent surge in terrorism in Pakistan
Everyone rushing to the front of the plane is plain stupid. It can tilt the balance, and stall.