A preliminary report on the Airbus plane crash in southern Pakistan last month revealed that the accident - which had killed 97 people, was caused by a human error for the two pilots who were discussing the recent developments of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The plane, which belongs to Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), crashed over a group of houses as it approached Karachi Airport (the largest city in southern Pakistan) on May 22. The accident killed all the passengers on the plane, with the exception of only two people.

Aviation Minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan told Parliament that "the pilot, in addition to the observer, did not follow the norms."


Fatal Errors
 He said that the two pilots were discussing the Covid-19 pandemic while trying to land an Airbus A320, and then they separated the autopilot program from the plane.

He explained that "the pilot and his assistant were not fully focused on their work, and all their discussion was about the Corona virus, which they were concerned about, after their families were affected by it, and they were discussing the matter." "Unfortunately, the pilot was dealing with excessive confidence," he added.

The report stated that the plane was flying at twice the height that it should have been flying when it approached the landing without dropping the special equipment. The pilots and air traffic controller then ignored the standard flight procedures, which resulted in the failure of the landing operation, which severely damaged the engines of the aircraft.

The plane fell while it was making a second attempt to land, and crashed over a residential neighborhood close to the airport.

The Pakistani investigation team - which included officials from the French government and the aviation sector - analyzed plane data and audio recordings in the cockpit.

The full report is expected to be published at the end of the year, while an advanced analysis of the remains of the plane is still underway.

The plane destroyed 29 houses, according to the aviation minister, who made it clear that the government would provide compensation to the population because of the damage they suffered.

He emphasized that the plane was "100% fit for flight, and there was no technical error."

Safety record is weak.
The accident - which resulted in the largest death toll in Pakistan in eight years - comes just days after permission to resume domestic flights, which have been suspended for more than a month, to prevent the spread of the new Corona virus.

Many passengers were on their way to celebrate Eid Al Fitr with their relatives after the two-week closure.

Pictures of the scene showed destroyed residential buildings, after the wings of the plane hit its roofs, while flames and smoke billowed into the sky.

During the rescue operation, which continued for the following day, rescuers recovered the bodies of passengers who were still wearing seat belts.

The aviation safety record in Pakistan shows numerous crashes of civilian and military aircraft and helicopters over the years.

The last major civilian plane crash in Pakistan dates back to December 2016, when a Pakistan International Airlines plane crashed during an internal flight from a mountainous area (in the north of the country) to Islamabad, killing 47 people.

In 2010, the Airbus A321 plane belonging to the private company "Airblue" crashed during a flight between Karachi and Islamabad, before landing in the capital, killing 152 people on board.

1992 saw a major air disaster for Pakistan International Airlines, when its Airbus A300 plane crashed during landing at the airport in the Nepalese capital, Kathmandu, killing 167 people.

An official report attributed the accident to the confused pilot and hostile environment in the cockpit.

Pakistan International Airlines remained one of the world's largest airlines until the 1970s, but its reputation has been tarnished by financial losses, mismanagement, flight delays and cancellations.

Pakistan International Airlines has recorded a series of controversial accidents, such as the arrest of one of its pilots in Britain in 2013 on suspicion of drinking alcohol while working, and the company also faced problems obtaining licenses from the European Union for cargo flights.

Between March and November 2007, the European Union included on its blacklist the entire fleet of the airline, with the exception of 8 aircraft.