The PK661 tragedy

It is with profound shock and sadness that reports of the crash of an aircraft operated by Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) have been confirmed. The aircraft was an ATR-42 and widely used for internal passenger services. All 47 people on board died. Photographs from the crash site suggest that the aircraft flew into a mountainside en-route from Chitral to Islamabad close to the village of Saddha Batolni near Havelian. The passenger list for PK661 lists at least two foreigners among the casualties, and the renowned pop singer turned evangelist Junaid Jamshed who was returning with his wife from a preaching mission in Chitral. There are as yet unconfirmed reports that the pilots put out a ‘Mayday’ call prior to the impact.

As of November 2016 it is reported that PIA operates 5 ATR 42-500s each with a capacity of 48. These aircraft were procured to replace the Fokker F27s that served between 1961 and 2006. The ATR-42 has been operating commercially in the civilian market since December 1985 and as of December 2014 a total of 436 had been delivered worldwide. Including this most recent incident there have been 32 hull-losses since October 1987.



It is far too early to know what caused this aircraft to crash, but it is of significance that a ‘Mayday’ is reported from the pilots. If this proves to be correct then they may have had some idea of what the problem was. The crash was unsurvivable, a high-speed impact perpendicular to the side of a hill or small mountain. Any speculation as to the cause is irresponsible and much to be discouraged. Ill-informed opinion by people outside the aircraft safety industry is already circulating, and we will not add the oxygen of publicity to unsubstantiated rumour. It will now be for a formal board of enquiry to investigate the causes of the crash and the manufacturers will want to be a part of that process. The orange (not black) data recorders will hopefully be found though the force of the impact may have damaged them. We extend our deepest condolences to the families of all those that lost their lives.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 8^th, 2016.

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