Accident Overview
On 22 May 2020 at 14:40 hrs Pakistan Standard Time, a Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) Airbus A320-214, registration AP-BLD, operating as flight PK8303, crashed in a populated area short of runway 25L at Jinnah International Airport (JIAP) Karachi. The aircraft carried 99 souls on board, of which 97 were fatally injured.
Investigation Progress
The safety investigation, conducted in accordance with ICAO Annex-13, involved contributions from various participants, collaboration sessions, teleconferences, joint meetings, and physical visits. Accredited Representatives (ACCREPs) and their technical advisors from member states provided contribution reports. The AAIB team visited the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and PIA stations in Lahore and Karachi to gather further evidence.
ACCREPs recommended a face-to-face session between BEA, Safran, Airbus, and the AAIB Pakistan. The meeting was initially planned for late January 2022 in France but was delayed due to a spike in COVID-19 cases and related travel restrictions. It was rescheduled and held in mid-March 2022. During the meeting, various aspects of the accident were discussed in detail to reach agreed conclusions. The AAIB team requested additional information and engineering simulations, most of which have been received from the ACCREPs.
Status
Analysis of gathered information, combined with contribution reports, is under progress at the AAIB for formulation of conclusions and safety recommendations. The draft final report is under process and likely to be completed soon. As per ICAO Annex-13 requirements, participating states will have the opportunity to review and comment on the draft final report. After necessary reconciliation of comments, the final report will be forwarded to the Government of Pakistan for public release.
This interim statement was issued on 22 May 2022.