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History of PIA - Pakistan International Airlines

Date: March 26, 2000

Type: Boeing 747-217B

Registration: AP-BCO

C/n: 20927

Year built: 1974

Crew: 0 fatalities/16 on board

Passengers: 0 fatalities/0 on board

Total: 0 fatalities/16 on board

Location: Jeddah - King Abdul Aziz International Airport (Saudi Arabia)

Phase: Landing

Nature: Ferry

Flight: - Jeddah

Flight number:

Remarks: On landing after a ferry flight with no passengers, the aircraft's right outer engine number 4 (Pratt & Whitney JT9D-7A) caught fire. Cockpit crew managed to extinguish the flames with the 2nd bottle, but local fire fighters had to put out the fire after it re-ignited. All 16 crew members were evacuated without injury. The aircraft sustained damage to the engine, cowling, pylon and adjacent wing fairing. After repairs, this aircraft was put back into service.

Probable Cause: Fractured fuel supply tube in pylon.

Source: NTSB

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Date: May 25, 2001

Time: 5:30 PM

Type: Airbus A300B4-203

Registration: AP-BBV

C/n: 144

Year built: 1981

Crew: 0 fatalities/15 on board

Passengers: 0 fatalities/250 on board

Total: 0 fatalities/265 on board

Location: Lahore; 110 miles (Pakistan)

Phase: Cruise

Nature: Scheduled passenger

Flight: Lahore - Karachi

Flight number: PK-305

Remarks: The Karachi bound flight PK-305 took off from Lahore Airport at 5:00 PM. About half an hour later there was an explosion caused by the rupture of aft pressure bulkhead at the altitude of 28,000 feet. The broken components jammed the elevator control, ruptured the hydraulic lines and the fuel lines. The Airbus went into a climb and then went into a dive. The crew was able to recover the aircraft from the dive at 8,000 feet. The aircraft was turned back to Lahore and made an emergency landing. There were no serious injuries to the passengers or crew. Findings of investigation indicated that pressure bulkhead failure was due to unnoticed corrosion caused by its proximity to a lavatory.

Source: Special thanks to Dr. Shazia

PIA Airbus A300B4-203

Airbus A300B4-203  (Copyright © Andrew Hunt)

AP-BBV involved in above described accident

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Date: October 17, 2001

Time: 2:15 AM

Type: Airbus A300B4-203

Registration: AP-BCJ

C/n: 268

Year built: 1983

Crew: 0 fatalities/11 on board

Passengers: 0 fatalities/193 on board

Total: 0 fatalities/204 on board

Location: Dubai International Airport (United Arab Emirates)

Phase: Landing

Nature: Scheduled passenger

Flight: Islamabad - Peshawar - Dubai

Flight number: PK-231

Remarks: Flight PK-231 from Islamabad via Peshawar veered off the side of the runway at Dubai after the right-hand main landing gear collapsed as it touched down. The aircraft skidded and eventually came to rest in sand 50 meters away from the runway. The aircraft sustained damage to its right wing structure and its no.2 engine, which partly broke off the wing. According to a press release by UAE's General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), the approach and landing of the aircraft was normal. But during the landing roll, the aircraft left the right side of the runway at slow speed and came to rest on the un-prepared surface 50 meters away from the runway facing 90 degree to the landing direction. All 193 passengers and 11 crew were evacuated safely. The 21 passengers suffering slight injuries were treated at Dubai Airport's medical center. Investigation by GCAA reveals failure of the right main landing gear as the main cause of accident.

Source: Khaleej Times

PIA Airbus A300B4-203

Airbus A300B4-203  (Copyright © Wide World Photos)

AP-BCJ after its accident at Dubai International Airport on October 17, 2001

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Date: July 20, 2003

Time: 3:45 AM

Type: Boeing 747-240B Combi

Registration: AP-BAK

C/n: 21825

Year built: 1979

Crew: 0 fatalities/ 16 on board

Passengers: 0 fatalities/ 248 on board

Total: 0 fatalities/ 264 on board

Location: Islamabad (Pakistan)

Phase: Takeoff run

Nature: Scheduled passenger

Flight: Islamabad - Manchester - New York

Flight number: PK-717

Remarks: Flight PK-717 aborted takeoff after experiencing problem with engine number two around 3:45 AM. The aircraft came to rest near the end of Runway 30 and all its sixteen main landing gear tyres deflated. Due to Boeing 747 with deflated tyres the runway became unavailable for jet aircraft operations. Spare tyres for the aircraft were flown from Lahore to Islamabad by a number of PIA Fokker F27 Friendship turboprop aircraft relief flights. The runway was reopened for flight operations at 7:50 PM after removal of the aircraft from runway.

PIA Boeing 747-240B Combi

Boeing 747-240B Combi  (Abbas Ali Collection)

AP-BAK after aborted takeoff at Islamabad Airport on July 20, 2003


Date: March 01, 2004

Time: 1:40 AM

Type: Airbus A300B4-203

Registration: AP-BBA

C/n: 114

Year built: 1980

Crew: 0 fatalities/12 on board

Passengers: 0 fatalities/261 on board

Total: 0 fatalities/273 on board

Location: Jeddah - King Abdul Aziz International Airport (Saudi Arabia)

Phase: Take off

Nature: Scheduled passenger

Flight: Jeddah - Quetta

Flight number: PK-2002

Remarks: Takeoff was aborted at very high speed after the left main gear tyres blew. Undercarriage suffered serious damage, flying metal pieces from fragmented wheel assemblies of nose gear struck fan blades of both engines and caused serious damage to both engines. Aircraft declared constructive total loss and withdrawn from use. According to investigations conducted by Saudi authorities, defective tyres were the cause of this accident.

Source: ATDB

PIA Airbus A300B4-203

Airbus A300B4-203  (Copyright © Sabi Akhter)

AP-BBA seen after meeting accident at Jeddah Airport, Saudi Arabia, on March 1, 2004



Date: June 16, 2004

Type: Fokker F27 Friendship Mark 200

Registration: AP-AUR

C/n: 10307

Year built: 1966

Crew: 0 fatalities/4 on board

Passengers: 0 fatalities/36 on board

Total: 0 fatalities/40 on board

Location: Chitral Airport (Pakistan)

Phase: Landing

Nature: Scheduled passenger

Flight: Peshawar - Chitral

Flight number: PK-660

Remarks: The Fokker did not stop on the runway, and overshot the area of the airport. It slipped into nearby fields as all its tyres burst with a loud noise. The accident caused damage to aircraft's landing gear, engines and nose section. The aircraft was declared a write-off and withdrawn from service after the accident.

Probable cause: The aircraft landed too far up the runway leaving little space for itself to slow down on the runway.

Source: The Nation

PIA Fokker F27 Friendship Mk 200

Fokker F27 Friendship Mark 200    (Abbas Ali Collection)

Security personnel stand guard near PIA Fokker F27 (registration AP-AUR) sitting outside the runway of Chitral Airport on June 16, 2004

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Date: March 1, 2005

Type: Boeing 777-240ER

Registration: AP-BGL

C/n: 33777

Year built: 2004

Crew: 0 fatalities/12 on board

Passengers: 0 fatalities/332 on board

Total: 0 fatalities/344 on board

Location: Manchester Airport (United Kingdom)

Phase: Taxiing

Nature: Scheduled passenger

Flight:  Karachi - Lahore - Manchester - Toronto

Flight number: PK-789

Remarks: Whilst the aircraft was taxiing, following an otherwise uneventful landing at Manchester, flames were seen around the wheels of the left main landing gear. As the airport Rescue and Fire Fighting Service (RFFS) attempted to extinguish the flames, copious quantities of what the RFFS Watch Commander assessed as smoke were produced and, fearing that the fire was getting out of control, he advised the aircraft commander to evacuate the aircraft. Minor injuries were sustained by some passengers and several fire service personnel during the evacuation. The aircraft suffered slight damage to fuselage skin adjacent to door 3R, heat damage to the No. 10 tyre and hydraulic hoses on the left main landing gear. The Boeing 777 returned to service after repairs.

Probable cause: The investigation determined that the cause of the fire, established as being in the No. 10 main landing gear wheel, most likely resulted from the maintenance practice used when cleaning the wheel heat shields. It was likely that these had been immersed in a flammable solvent, which allowed the ceramic fibre insulation material contained within to become contaminated. The fire occurred on the second landing after the wheel had been fitted to the aircraft, when the brake pack temperature was likely to have been higher than on the previous landing.

Source: Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) - United Kingdom

PIA Boeing 777-240ER

Boeing 777-240ER    (Abbas Ali Collection)

AP-BGL after completion of evacuation process at Manchester Airport on March 1, 2005. In the background, a sister ship of AP-BGL is seen taxiing


Date: July 13, 2005

Type: Fokker F27 Friendship Mark 200

Registration: AP-BAO

C/n: 10230

Year built: 1963

Crew: 0 fatalities/? on board

Passengers: 0 fatalities/? on board

Total: 0 fatalities/? on board

Location: Lahore - Allama Iqbal International Air Port (Pakistan)

Phase: Landing

Nature: Scheduled passenger

Flight:  Bahawalpur - Lahore - Islamabad

Flight number: PK-604

Remarks: AP-BAO performing flight PK-604 went off the runway at Lahore Airport. Left engine (engine number 1) propeller did not go into ground fire position (below 18 degrees lock position).

Probable cause: A detailed inspection of left hand engine revealed that the throttle control rod was found disconnected at the engine control box. Control lever bolt and nut were found inside the bottom of engine cowl. Split pin was not retrieved. The engine was installed eight days prior to the incident. Further investigation revealed that the split pin was not installed.


Date: July 10, 2006

Time: 12:06 PM

Type: Fokker F27 Friendship Mark 200

Registration: AP-BAL

C/n: 10243

Year built: 1964

Cycles: 82480 cycles

Crew: 4 fatalities/4 on board

Passengers: 41 fatalities/41 on board

Total: 45 fatalities/45 on board

Ground casualties: Fatalities: 1

Location: Multan (Pakistan)

Phase: Initial Climb

Nature: Scheduled passenger

Flight: Multan - Lahore

Flight number: PK-688

Remarks: PK-688 took off from Multan Airport at 12:05PM for 1 hour 20 minutes flight to Lahore. During take-off roll, aircraft's engine number 2 crossed Turbine Gas Temperature (TGT) limit and caught fire. The twin-engine Fokker F27 crashed in an empty wheat field surrounded by mango orchard trees. The ill-fated aircraft struck high voltage electricity wires, and after hitting some trees and orchard's boundary wall, it crashed into empty field around 12:06PM, within 50 seconds after take-off from Multan Airport. Laden with 4,700 pounds of aviation fuel, the aircraft broke into pieces due to force of impact with ground and immediately caught fire killing everyone trapped inside the wreckage. Severely injured Air Hostess Amira Sikandar was found alive at the crash site. She was pulled out from aircraft's burning wreckage and taken on Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) ambulance to Multan's Nishtar Hospital by CAA's Multan Airport Manager Syed Aamer Mehboob. Unfortunately, the Air Hostess breathed her last in the ambulance on the way to hospital. A young girl on the ground also became unfortunate victim of this accident. The crash site is around three miles from Multan Airport in an area called Raj Ghat in the Suraj Miani locality of Multan city.

During the preliminary investigation parts of one of the two Rolls Royce Dart Mark 532-7E turboprop engines of ill-fated aircraft were found on the right side of Multan Airport runway indicating engine number 2 failure during take-off as one of the reasons behind the accident. However, there is no evidence found that the engine failure is related to the Dart engine design. Furthermore, no evidence was found indicating that the Fokker F27 or its systems had any bearing on the cause of the accident. Poor maintenance work was blamed for the failure of engine 2.

Probable cause: Crew did not apply proper flight techniques in case of an engine failure. Unfortunately, after take-off, crew did not retract landing gear and also did not adequately correct the heading and rolling deviations, which caused additional loss of climb performance. The Flight Data Recorder (FDR) recording showed that the crew was able to recover the heading and rolling deviations occasionally. Therefore it can be concluded that the aircraft was controllable on one engine.

Source: Fokker Services,  The Nation, APP, The News

PIA Fokker F27 Friendship Mk 200

Fokker F27 Friendship Mark 200    (Copyright © Wide World Photos)

AP-BAL wreckage burning at crash site, three miles away from Multan Airport, on July 10, 2006


Date: September 3, 2006

Type: Boeing 737-340

Registration: AP-BCC

C/n: 23296

Year built: 1985

Crew: 0 fatalities/? on board

Passengers: 0 fatalities/? on board

Total: 0 fatalities/? on board

Phase: Descent

Nature: Scheduled passenger

Flight: Karachi - Doha

Flight Number: PK-251

Remarks: The Boeing 737-300 was flying as flight PK-257 from Karachi to Doha on September 3, 2006, when its elevator was blown off. After take-off from Karachi, during different phases of the flight, the crew experienced air frame vibration and informed ground engineers about the situation. During descent into Doha, the starboard side elevator separated from the aircraft with a loud bang and the Boeing 737 started shaking badly. Crew declared an emergency and continued approach to Doha International Airport. On approach when they lowered the landing gear there was no indication in the cockpit. Approach was discontinued and it was decided to make a low pass at 1000ft over the Doha Airport to get a verification from airport's control tower for landing gear extension. A visual check of landing gear from cabin was also made. The aircraft made another approach and completed a safe landing. The aircraft was repaired at Doha Airport and returned to Karachi on September 6, 2006.

PIA Boeing 737-340

Boeing 737-340    (Abbas Ali Collection)

This photo taken at Doha International Airport, Qatar, on September 3, 2006, shows PIA Boeing 737-340 (registration AP-BCC) missing elevator from its starboard tailplane (horizontal stabilizer)

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