Tragedy Averted: Airplanes escape mid-air collision

A plane was flying from Abu Dhabi to Lahore and another from Dubai to Lahore when the collision nearly occurred.

QUETTA: Two foreign passenger aircraft escaped a mid-air crash over Pasni, Balochistan on Friday.

According to sources, a plane was flying from Abu Dhabi to Lahore while another plane was on its way from Dubai to Lahore when the collision nearly occurred.

The disaster was averted after the activation of the aircraft collision avoidance system. “The radar system had developed some faults and had been malfunctioning for the past few months – the airplanes were making flights without this system,” said the sources.

“Both flights were at an altitude of 34,000 feet.” Apparently, the audio frequency was also malfunctioning, because of which communication between the pilots and the air-controller did not happen at regular intervals.

“It was the aircraft collision avoidance system and the wise decision of pilots that prevented a disaster of great magnitude,” the sources added.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 15^th, 2012.