Three crashes in four months

Pakistan is becoming the Bermuda Triangle of aviation with three plane crashes in four months.

With three planes having crashed on our soil in the last four months, Pakistan is fast becoming the new Bermuda Triangle of aviation. The latest incident took place in the early hours of the morning on November 28, when a Russian-made cargo plane crashed in Karachi, just minutes after taking off. Investigations into the causes of airplane crashes can take months, sometimes even years, but the initial assessment by the operator of the plane says that the crash was most likely caused after the plane was hit by a bird. As yet, there is no reason to believe that this crash was caused by either pilot error or the negligence of airport authorities.

The same cannot be said for the other two plane crashes in the past few months. On November 5, a small charter aircraft crashed in Karachi, killing all 21 people on board. Given that engine failure was suspected to have caused the crash, this points to a lack of oversight by the Civil Aviation Authority whose responsibility includes that airlines comply with flight safety standards. Similarly, many questions were raised as a result of the Airblue crash in the Margalla Hills. From the performance of air-traffic controllers to the age of the pilot, it seems that a series of errors and oversights led to the tragedy. However, the investigation report into the accident has yet to be made public and relatives of those who lost their lives have had to form an association to lobby for early release of the compensation that airlines are required to give after such incidents.

Quite understandably, the International Civil Aviation Administration has criticised Pakistan for its lack of qualified inspectors which it says leads to a lack of regulation of private airlines. As a long-term measure, the government needs to increase funding for training of inspectors and ensure they have the independence to operate without hindrance. As a more immediate step, all aircraft need to be carefully inspected to insure they meet international aviation safety standards and any planes that are not up to the mark should be grounded. The airlines will surely protest as this will lead to a loss of revenue at a time when the aviation industry in the country is struggling financially. But the government must start to put people over profits.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 30^th, 2010.