Pakistan Air Force Tragedy: Flight Conditions, Analysis & Questions
by Muhammad Afzal Khan
This article
analyses the greatest Pakistan Air Force tragedy and raises
important questions relating to the flight safety of the aircraft.
Facts:
According to
Reuters (global news agency), the
Villager Zarmast Khan said the weather was foggy at the time of the
crash, but there was only a very light drizzle. [TAULANJ,
Pakistan, Pakistan (Reuters) - By Abdul Sami Paracha]
Local people told
journalists that the weather at the time of incident was not clear.
"There were dark clouds hanging over the mountains and local people
were still inside their houses because it was so cold," one man
said. [Form the article by Haroon Rashid,
BBC reporter near Kohat]
Analysis & Questions:
When flights are
scheduled and planned, a few hours before the departure time, the
pilot submits a flight plan from the place of origin to the
destination. At the time of granting clearance to the aircraft to
proceed on the flight, the pilot is given the weather briefing en
route and at the destination. In low visibility conditions, the
flight can only be undertaken under Instrument Flight Rules (IFR)
meaning that the aircraft is flown using the flight instruments,
airfield approach aids and the landing aids. Also weather-minima
limitations are laid down for every airfield considering the
surrounding terrain. The pilots must adhere to the airfield
limitations for takeoff and landing.
The weather
reported around Kohat was foggy with low clouds covering the hills.
In fog, the horizontal visibility is extremely low. Because of the
poor visibility and extremely low cloud base, it is not possible to
operate the flight under Visual Flight Rules (VFR). Here the
following questions arise:
- Are the flights under
Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) permitted to operate at the Kohat
airfield or only flights under the Visual Flight Rules permitted?
- What approach and
landing aids are available at Kohat (such as Visual Omni Range (VOR)
and Instrument Landing System (ILS)?
- What are the
weather-minima for the Kohat airfield? If the weather was below
minima, why was the VIP flight allowed to descend and approach for
landing by Kohat Air Traffic Control or the Cherat Control?
- Did the aircraft follow
the standard operating procedures laid down for the Kohat Airfield?
- In case the pilot took
decision to descend on his own, does it reflect the lack of
discipline on the part of the pilots?
- If the flights are
permitted to operate under only Visual Flight Rule (VFR) conditions
at Kohat, then why was the clearance granted in poor weather
conditions, to start with, by the Air Traffic Control at PAF
Chaklala?
If the Chief of
the Pakistan Air Force along with his principle staff officers was
supposed to go to Kohat for annual inspection, and the weather was
poor, could the flight have been delayed and the inspection
rescheduled for a later date, as it was a local arrangement of the
Pakistan Air Force? And as such, could this tragic incident have
been avoided?
As
we all know, the Pakistan Air Force aircraft (Air Force 1) carrying
Air Chief Marshal Mushaf Ali Mir along with his principle staff
officers crashed near Kohat and all the 17 people on board became
martyrs. It is the greatest tragedy of all times for the Pakistan
Air Force. We lost a very capable and professional Chief of the
Pakistan Air Force and the Principal Staff Officers. It is a tragic
time for Pakistan. It is important to hold thorough investigation
and get to the root cause, so that tragedies of such immense
proportion can be avoided in the future.
Mr. Muhammad Afzal Khan is a retired
Pilot.
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