Court seeks full probe report of 2016 air crash by Nov 19

A two-member bench of the Sindh High Court (SHC) has sought the full report of the investigation into the air crash of a Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flight in 2016 by November 19.

During the hearing of the case on Tuesday, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) presented a preliminary investigation report before the bench, comprising Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar and Justice Arshad Hussain Khan.

On December 7, 2016, domestic passenger flight from Chitral to Islamabad crashed near Havelian, killing all 47 people on board, including singer-turned-preacher and entrepreneur Junaid Jamshed, and the deputy commissioner of the district of Chitral.

According to the preliminary report present by the CAA, the pilot of the ill-fated ATR 42-500 twin-turboprop plane, encountered a very complex technical error. The accident was caused by a broken turbine blade, the report added.

The fault for breakdown of the turbine lied with the PIA Maintenance. Experts say that this type of error has never happened before, adding that in such a situation, it becomes impossible for the pilot to control the aircraft.

Justice Mazhar asked about the final report, saying that it had been 4 years since the accident. The CAA officials said the aircraft was manufactured in three countries. Reports have been received from France and Canada but the report of overhauling and acceleration was awaited from the United States.

The court gave a deadline of November 19 for the submission of the full report. The petition has been filed by Iqbal Kazmi, seeking a transparent investigation into the plane crash and the action against those responsible.