An initial probe into the plane crash near Karachi last month that killed 97 people has found the pilots did not properly carry out a set of procedures and were not “focused” because of coronavirus, Pakistan’s aviation minister has said.
Investigators put the crash down to human error, blaming negligence from both the pilots and air traffic controllers, rather than any technical fault, Ghulam Sarwar Khan told parliament on Wednesday.
He said the Airbus A320 was “100 per cent fit” to fly at the time of the crash, which killed all but two of the 99 people on board.
Mr Khan told MPs that the pilots were distracted and “overconfident” during their initial approach to land at Karachi and came in too high and fast when they disengaged the autopilot.
“The pilot and co-pilot were not focused and throughout they were having a conversation about corona. The [virus] was on their minds. Their families were affected and they were having a discussion about it,” the minister said.
