The pilots of the Pakistan International Airlines ill-fated plane that crashed last month were not "focused" and they were discussing coronavirus during the flight, the country's aviation minister told parliament on Wednesday. Presenting the provisional inquiry report to the parliament, Pakistan's Aviation Minister Ghulam Sarwar said the probe pointed out that "overconfidence and lack of concentration by pilots led to the fatal plane crash." Human error by the pilots and air traffic control caused the crash of the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) plane, he said. The minister said that the pilots had ignored the instructions of the air traffic control on the height of the aircraft. "The pilots and the ATC both did not follow the protocol," he said. "The pilot ignored the instructions of the air traffic controllers and the ATC, on the other hand, did not inform the pilot about the engine collision." "Those who are responsible will be held accountable," the minister said, promising that the complete investigation report will be presented in one year's time. He said that the initial report pointed out that there was no technical fault with the aircraft and even the pilot had not said the same in his conversation with the air traffic controllers. The minister noted that the aircraft touched the runway thrice without the landing gear which caused damage to its engines. "When the plane took off again, both its engines had been damaged," he said. The domestic flight from Lahore to Karachi crashed in one of the densely populated residential neighborhoods near the Jinnah International Airport in Karachi on May 22. The Airbus A320 aircraft of the national carrier had 91 passengers and a crew of eight when it crashed into the Jinnah Garden area near Model Colony in Malir, shortly before its landing. One girl died on the ground after suffering burn injuries. Two passengers miraculously survived the crash. — Agencies
