CAA blames PIA for Havelian crash in 2016

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) on Tuesday in its report held Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) responsible for the 2016 Havelian crash in which 48 passengers, including religious scholar Junaid Jamshed were killed.

The ill-fated flight PK-661, was travelling from Chitral to Islamabad.

According to Samaa, the authority submitted its initial report in Sindh High Court (SHC), in which the Aircraft Accident Investigation Board held the national carrier responsible for the incident.

As per the report presented before the SHC, the pilot encountered a very complex technical error and broken turbine blade was the cause of the accident. The report blames maintenance department of the carrier for blade breakdown.

The experts said that this type of error has never been reported before. In such a situation, it was impossible for the pilot to control the aircraft.

Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar also asked about the final investigation report too. “Where is the final report? The accident occurred in 2016 and you still haven’t completed the investigation.”

The CAA replied that the aircraft was manufactured by three countries. Reports from France and Canada have already been submitted, while they are still waiting for US to submit the report.

The court has given the authority till November 19 to submit the report.