What happened
On May 22, 2020, an Airbus A320-214, registration AP-BLD, departed from Allama Iqbal International Airport in Lahore, destined for Karachi. The flight, operated by PIA, was carrying 91 passengers and 8 crew members.
During the approach to Runway 25L at Jinnah International Airport, the aircraft was observed at an altitude of approximately 9,000 feet while 15 nautical miles from the runway, significantly higher than the required 3,000 feet. Although the landing gear and speed brakes were initially deployed, they were retracted when the aircraft was 5 nautical miles from the touchdown point. The flight crew proceeded with an unstabilized approach, failing to respond to various cockpit warnings and instructions from Air Traffic Control.
The aircraft made contact with the runway approximately 4,500 feet from the threshold with the landing gear still retracted. Following the impact, the crew attempted a go-around, but the engines sustained damage that led to a loss of oil and subsequent engine failure. After declaring a MAYDAY, the aircraft lost altitude and crashed in a residential area roughly 1,340 meters short of the runway. The accident resulted in 97 fatalities among those on board, with 2 passengers surviving. On the ground, 4 people were injured, one of whom later died in the hospital.
Findings
Investigation into the sequence of events indicates that the crew continued an unstabilized approach despite ignoring multiple cockpit alerts and ATC commands. The subsequent engine failure was caused by the loss of lubrication following runway contact.