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Bad weather and technical failure are two key areas for the inquiry

As Pakistan authorities launch an investigation into the crash of the Airblue Airbus A321 near Islamabad, Jim Ferguson, an aviation expert based in Aberdeen, Scotland, discusses some of the possible scenarios.

“Until the plane’s ‘black box’ flight recorders are found, we simply will not know what caused this crash. There are so many unanswered questions.

It could be a combination of many things. But from the reports I have seen, the weather could be the villain of the piece. If you’ve ever been in monsoon rain, you know how serious it is.

But whatever the weather, this is an accident which should not have happened. Monsoons happen every year in Pakistan – they are nothing new to aviation.

So my first question is: Was this plane trying to land in weather conditions which were below the agreed minimum for the aircraft? And did the pilot have any other option?

It would have been up to the crew to make a decision about whether or not to land. Because no matter the weather, the airport would have remained open.

We need to know what the actual weather was at the time of the crash. What was the visibility? Was there fog? Was there a cross wind? Was there any wind shear or nasty microbursts (downdrafts) hidden in the monsoon?

And it would be useful to know what Airblue’s minimum conditions for landing were. I would guess a visibility of half a mile and a cloud base of 500ft. But that is a guess.

Throughout the journey, the crew should have been given regular weather updates. Each time they have to decide – is it worth continuing?

We don’t know what information the crew had been given. But the Pakistani authorities will be wanting to know why the aircraft took off from Karachi in the first place.

Were the crew unwise to do so? And were they unwise to continue?”

The bad weather in Islamabad begs the question: Did the aircraft have enough fuel to divert to another airport?

A plane should always carry enough fuel to reach its destination, plus an allowance for circling and enough spare fuel to reach a nominated alternative airport.

Karachi to Islamabad is around two hours flying time, so the pilot may not have had enough fuel for a round trip. But they should certainly have had enough to divert.”

“Was this a navigational error by the pilot?

Some reports indicate the plane may have been circling before an attempt to land. If so, was this its first attempt?

I have to assume that it was. Because I haven’t heard any reports of an overshoot.

It is possible that the plane had already made an approach, taken a look and thought – I don’t fancy that, and gone for another circle. But nobody has said anything yet about an aborted landing procedure.

If you are going to circle for a while, there is a safety height below which you should not descend. Usually it is the height of the tallest nearby hill, plus a couple of thousand feet for clearance. Was the plane below that height? And if so, why?

To help the pilot navigate, we know there are a couple of navigation beacons around Islamabad. But we do not know if there is an instrument landing system. If there is, was it working? Was it affected by the heavy monsoon rain?”

“Was there a problem with the plane’s navigational systems?

The Airbus is a complicated aeroplane and it doesn’t let people down. Not often anyway. Everything should work, no matter the weather.

To measure your altitude, the plane has a barometric altimeter, which you set to local pressure. You should also have a radar altimeter, and a ground proximity warning system (GPWS) which tells you ‘Pull up. Pull up’.

When it says that, you put the throttles forward and climb like a homesick angel. You’ve got to otherwise you’re going to wrap yourself around a hill.

The system is quite unreal. You can input the details of your whole flight when you take off – all the beacons and the heights you want to do – and sit back and let the plane do it for you. But in bad weather like that, most guys would be going for it hands on.

As for the airline’s safety record, this appears to be the first major accident that Airblue have had.”

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KATHMANDU, July 20: Some international airlines have reduced their flights to Nepal for the month of July, citing off-season in tourism business and low passenger volume. Monsoon – June to August – is generally regarded as off-season in Nepali airline industry.

According to Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN), Air China has stopped its flight to Lhasa for the month of July, citing operational reason. The airline used to fly seven times a week on Lhasa-Kathmandu-Lhasa route.

Similarly, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has reduced its flights to two flights a week from four flights a week recorded on normal days.

Ram Dinesh Lal Karna, manager of flight schedule and permission section of CAAN, said international airlines have reported decrease in flight occupancy during this off-season. “Airlines enjoying over 90 percent occupancy on normal days are seeing significant decline in occupancy,” Karna added.

According to sources, Jet Airways and Qatar Airways are operating with occupancy of 50 to 60 percent. Currently, 25 airlines operate flights on international routes generating 2.05 million seats annually.

Meanwhile, Hong Kong-based Dragon Air has sought approval from CAAN – the aviation regulator – to increase its flight frequency to six flights a week from coming September. Though Hong Kong is a profitable destination for international airlines, Karna said other Chinese destinations do not hold much prospect for international airlines.

Three China-based airlines — Air China, China Eastern and China Southern – link Kathmandu with different destinations with mainland China.

Gulf-based airlines faring well

According to CAAN sources, international airlines originating from the Gulf are in a better position than other airlines. Since these airlines largely depend on migrant workers, off-season in tourism business has not made any impact in their performance, Karna added.

Air Arabia, Bahrain Air, Etihad Airways, Gulf Air, Qatar Airways and national flag carrier Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC) link Kathmandu with different destinations in the Middle East. Karna said these airlines operate 49 flights a week to Sharjah, Doha, Dammam, Bahrain and Dubai.

Only permission

Oman Air, which had received permission to operate flights to Nepal in March, has already postponed the launch of its inaugural flights to Nepal three times. The airline has informed CAAN that it will fly to Kathmandu from September 2.

Likewise, the Philippines-based Spirit of Manila airlines – which received preliminary permission in 2009 – is also undecided as to when it would start flying to Nepal.

Biman Bangladesh, which has received permission to operate 14 flights a week, is only flying seven times a week on Dhaka-Kathmandu route.

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