Vickers Viscount 815  (Copyright © Qasim Jadoon)

This photo shows AP-AJC removed from accident site at Rawalpindi Airport. On May 18, 1959, AP-AJC skidded sideways off the runway when the pilot tried to turn the aircraft at the end of runway at Rawalpindi Airport, Pakistan. The aircraft's undercarriage folded up sideways and one of its wings was broken in this accident. AP-AJC was declared a write-off and moved by land transport to Karachi by PIA engineering personnel lead by Aircraft Engineer Ali Gohar Khan

Ishaq Khan was Duty Traffic Officer on duty at Rawalpindi Airport on May 18, 1959, he recalls the accident as follows:

"The flight was commanded by Capt. Abdus Salam Sheikh (one of the senior most pilots of PIA) with First Officer Sunshine Khawaja. When the flight came into land on Runway 28 there was a slight drizzle (almost negligible). I observed that the aircraft touched down after overshooting two-third of the runway right at the intersection of taxi-way. It should be noted that it was the old airport building and one could see planes take off & land just a few hundred yards from the building verandah. I noted that after touchdown the plane disappeared at the end of runway & I could see just the tail of the plane was sticking out. I called to my colleagues and the people in Engineering to tell them and then rushed towards the plane. I was the first person to enter after the front door was opened by cabin crew ( Flight Purser Safia and Flight Steward Shafqat ). I entered the cockpit & noted that Capt. Sheikh was dazed. Looking up at me he spoke in Punjabi ' Khuda nay baacha ditta'. He was right. Had Sunshine Khawaja not applied the rudder the plane would have plunged nose first into the nullah and the results would have been catastrophic. The aircraft after losing its undercarriage drifted sideways into chest deep water. Although the aircraft was lost but there was no other causalities."

Vickers Viscount 815  (Copyright © Qasim Jadoon)

Another photo showing written-off AP-AJC removed from accident site at Rawalpindi Airport in May on 1959. Note Margalla Hills in the background

Airbus A300B4-203  (Copyright © Sabi Akhter)

This photo shows badly damaged left main landing gear of AP-BBA at Jeddah Airport, Saudi Arabia, in March of 2004. In wee hours of March 1, 2004, at night time, AP-BBA was operating post-Hajj operation flight PK-2002 from Jeddah to Quetta with a total of 261 passengers and 12 crew members on board. The A300 began take-off roll from Jeddah Airport at around 1:40 AM local time when at high speed two tyres from its left main landing gear blew with a bang due to which left main landing gear caught fire and began to disintegrate with its fragments entering engine in-takes and hitting wings and fuselage of the aircraft. The Jeddah Air Traffic Controller reported fire in landing gear to pilots of speeding AP-BBA who decided to abort take-off. The fragments from left main landing gear caused extensive damage to engines, wings and fuselage of the aircraft. According to investigations conducted by Saudi authorities, defective retreaded tyres were the cause of this accident. In Pakistan, cockpit crew of flight PK-2002 received safety award for professionally handling difficult situation and for saving precious lives of passengers and crew members of the aircraft. AP-BBA was insured for US Dollars 3,000,000 and was declared constructive total loss due to nature of damage it sustained. Parting out of AP-BBA was completed in spring of 2006 in Jeddah

Airbus A300B4-203  (Copyright © Sabi Akhter)

Badly damaged fan blades of one of AP-BBA's two General Electric CF6-50C2 turbofan engines photographed at Jeddah Airport in March 2004