PIA plane crash: Airbus team continues probe

• Some 97 persons lost their lives after a PIA plane crashed in Karachi on Friday, the air crash marked the third deadliest incident in Pakistan aviation history.
• Special attention is being paid to the search for the cockpit voice record of the aircraft.

The technical team of Airbus continues its investigation after it arrived at the site of the PIA aircraft crash on Wednesday.

An eleven-member team from the aircraft manufacturing company, Airbus arrived in Pakistan from France to assist the Aircraft Accident and Investigation Board (AAIB) in the investigation into the crash of flight PK-8303.

The team visited the site of the crash and reviewed the evidence in the presence of members from PIA’s Flight Safety and Engineering Departments, a PIA spokesman said.

Special attention is being paid to the search for the cockpit voice record of the aircraft. The experts have further expanded the scope of the investigation. Drone cameras were used during the investigation to collect wreckage and equipment samples.

The foreign team will conduct forensic investigations today (Wednesday) after the Airbus team announced to extend their stay in Pakistan for 5 days.

Earlier, the Airbus company in its official accident information transmission said that the aircraft, registration number AP-BLD, manufacturer serial number 2274, had logged around 47,100 flight hours and 25,860 flight cycles till May 22, and it was powered by CFM56-5B4/P engines. The Airbus company, in accordance with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), is bound to provide full technical assistance to the Bureau d’Enquete et d’Analyse of France and to PIA.

Some 97 persons lost their lives after a PIA plane crashed in Karachi on Friday, the air crash marked the third deadliest incident in Pakistan aviation history.

Meanwhile, the International Federation of Air Line Pilots’ Associations (IFALPA) has offered its assistance in the investigation into the crash of PIA Flight PK 8303.

In a letter to the President of the AAIB, Air Commodore Muhammad Usman Ghani, the President of IFALPA, Captain Jack Netskar, urged the Pakistani authorities to closely follow the provisions of Annex 13 to ensure that all the relevant aspects were evaluated and thoroughly reviewed before any conclusions were drawn.