Accident Details
Shortly after takeoff from Bahawalpur Airport, a four-engine aircraft went out of control during initial climb and crashed 7 km from the airport. All 30 occupants were killed.
Occupants
The victims included Muhammad Zia Ul-Haq, President of the Republic of Pakistan; chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee General Akhtar Abdur Rahman; Brigadier Siddique Salik; several high-ranking officers of the Pakistan Army; and the American Ambassador to Pakistan Arnold Lewis Raphel. They were returning to Islamabad following a US M1 Abrams tank demonstration in Bahawalpur.
Investigation
Due to the presence of officials on board, it was believed that the accident was the consequence of sabotage, but this could not be proven. About 20 years later, in 2008, the British newspaper 'The Times' reported that an analysis conducted by a US laboratory in 1988 found 'extensive contamination' by brass and aluminium particles in the elevator booster package. This may have caused sluggish controls leading to overcontrol, which in turn may have led to the pilots losing control at low altitude soon after takeoff. Nevertheless, the exact cause of the accident remains unclear.