It has been over 26 days since PIA ATR crashed killing 47 human beings, most having paid to travel safely from Chitral to Islamabad. One only hopes that this accident and its victims, the next of kin, will finally have a closure, get insurance and know reasons for this accident and hope that there will be remedial action by CAA and airline ensuring avoidance of such accidents.
Past record of investigations conducted on Bhoja Air or Air Blue crash are deplorable to say the least. There is an 8 minute Audio Recording circulating on social media which contains contents of conversations in cockpit and seem to be from Cockpit Voice Recorder. This was supposed to be Three Pilot operation with an Instructor Captain, a rated copilot and a trainee pilot sitting on right seat. There is a female voice heard before the first May Day call informing engine failure. This female is talking about a recording and continues to be heard well after engine failure and May Day call. What is shocking is the voice continues to be heard even after the second Mayday call was made after over 3 minutes of initial call.
Various private TV channels have also reported that three months before this accident the Flight Operations had taken ATR out of Career Plan and hired pilots directly from outside airline and from within for command and copilot duties on contract. Why was this done? Where was the rated Copilot and why did he not take over when engine failed? Why was the crew involved in recording during course of operating a flight? What is training record of all three pilots and who cleared them and allowed training of non-rated pilots on northern domestic routes?
PIA needs to overhaul its top management and so must CAA, which is one of most profitable state owned organisations. Billions of rupees from tax payer funds have been given to keep afloat national airline facing losses of over Rs250 Billion. The purpose of state owned airline is to provide safe and convenient air travel facility to clients, not for the airline to become hostage to employees, with top executives holding office during LPR, obsessed with seeking contracts post retirement and victim of Conflict of Interest.
Gull Zaman
Peshawar