|
|
|
| November 29, 2006 | Wednesday | Ziqa'ad 7, 1427 |
Fokker crash evidence destroyed, say lawyers
LAHORE, Nov 28: A fact-finding committee of the High Court Bar Association, Multan Bench, on Fokker crash alleges that the Civil Aviation Authority and the national airlines have destroyed evidence at the site of the accident to cover up their negligence.
As many as 45 passengers, including the crew, had lost their lives when a Fokker F-27 crashed minutes after its take-off from Multan on July 10. It was the ninth Fokker crash in the country.
The bar then constituted a 10-member committee headed by Mahmood Ashraf Khan to probe the incident.
The committee revealed that the authorities concerned had not only removed the wreckage of the aircraft from the spot but also got the fields ploughed without the consent of the landowner.
“All these attempts have been made to destroy evidence before the arrival of investigation experts from the manufacturer and insurance companies.”
It said the chief of the special investigation board constituted by CAA and PIA to investigate the incident had directed the owner of the mango orchard not to remove the affected trees before the completion of the inquiry or without its permission. But the direction was never followed.
The committee also mentioned in its report that even the board had failed to collect the entire belongings of the victims as even a week after the incident the fact-finding team found shoes, cell phones, fragments of the aircraft and different documents like maps from the spot. The report did not specify the type of maps.
However, it went on to say that it was clear that CAA and PIA had hurriedly destroyed evidence just to cover up their fault and negligence.
The committee pointed out that the original seating capacity of the aircraft was 36. It said PIA had altered specifications without any authority. It said the right engine of the aircraft had a track record of catching fire and breakdown during operations. The engine caught fire for four times a day before the accident had taken place and the fact was completely overlooked.
The committee said that the ill-fated aircraft manufactured in 1964 was first operated in France the same year. It was bought by PIA in 1979 after 15 years of operational life.
The committee revealed that Fokker had already flown more than 200,000 hours to its credit. It observed that there had been no overhauling facilities available in Pakistan for Fokker aircraft.
“To remove a major technical fault of the engine, the national carrier banked upon its licenced vendors till 1996 and after stoppage of the manufacturing of its parts there was no alternative facility available to PIA to remove faults.”
It said the negligence of Airworthiness Department of CAA could not be ruled out in the accident.
“Recommended aircraft life is 28 years. Airworthiness certificate was awarded to this aircraft after 42 years in operation,” it added.
|
|
|
|
