No technical fault in Bhoja jet crash: DG CAA

Pakistan

No technical fault in Bhoja jet crash: DG CAA

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No evidence that mechanical failure caused Bhoja aircraft crash, a CAA official said.

21 April,2012 05:17 pm

The Boeing 737 operated by domestic carrier Bhoja Air crashed yesterday few kilometers away from Islamabad airport after a flight from Karachi, killing everyone on board.“The aircraft was thoroughly examined before flight, however no technical problem was detected” the Director General of Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) Nadeem Yousafzai said on Saturday during press briefing in Islamabad.He also said the Bhoja Airlines Boeing 737 was correctly positioned for landing when, at 2,600 feet, the plane began to descend sharply.Yousafzai said he had listened to recordings of conversations between air traffic controllers at Islamabad’s Benazir Bhutto international Airport the pilot, Noor Ullah Afridi.All had seemed normal, with the air traffic controller reminding the pilots to lower the plane’s landing gear in preparation for landing.“Suddenly, the blip disappeared from the radar screen and contact was lost with the plane,” Nadeem Yousafzai said.While responding to allegations regarding political intereference in resumption of Bhoja Air service, Nadeem Yousafzai said there was no political pressure in issuing license to Bhoja Airline.They (Bhoja Airlines) had a license since 1994 but were closed due to non-payment of dues to CAA. The airline had a joint venture after which their dues were paid. The planes were inspected by the CAA.” Yousafzai told reporters at a news conference.He added that the Black Box had been sent over to concerned authorities and its examination might take one month. “Depending on the type of the crash, the final result of the inquiry may take up to three months to one year.”“The incident will be probed with help of foreign experts” DG CAA said.According to the Web site www.airfleets.net, the Bhoja jet was 32 years old and first saw service with British Airways in South Africa.The Bhoja Air flight from Karachi came down in fields near a village on the outskirts of the capital on Friday evening, killing all 127 people onboard, in the countrys second major fatal air crash in less than two years.