Investigations Continue Following Devastating Air Accident

Plenty of questions remain over the devastating air accident involving a Bhoja Airlines flight in Pakistan which claimed the lives of all 127 people on board, according to a specialist aviation lawyer at Irwin Mitchell.

Investigations are continuing into the incident on Friday evening (April 20th) which saw the Boeing 737 reportedly descend sharply as it was heading into to land at Benazir Bhutto International Airport in Islamabad.

It is reported that the aircraft was established on the final approach to Runway 30 at 2900 feet, when it suddenly descended then disappeared off radar.  The country’s aviation authority has claimed that a mechanical failure was not behind the crash, which occurred during severe weather conditions.

Aviation lawyers at Irwin Mitchell have received requests from Pakistan for assistance.  The aviation team represents victims seriously injured in air accidents both in the UK and abroad, as well as the families of those killed in air disasters, including the Kenya Airways 737 crash in Cameroon in 2007 and the Ethiopian Airlines 737crash in Lebanon in 2010.

Jim Morris, former RAF Boeing AWACS pilot and Partner in the specialist Aviation Law team, said: “This was a truly devastating incident and the fact that it was the second major air disaster to occur in Islamabad in as many years is a massive cause for concern. Our thoughts are with the families and friends of those who lost their lives in this tragedy.

“There have been a number of reports emerging in relation to the crash, from suggestions that the plane may have been hit by a lightning strike to suggestions that a fuel tank on board may have exploded.

“However, it is very early days and a thorough accident investigation is vital to determine what exactly caused this tragedy.  To achieve this all factors need to be considered, including mechanical or flight systems failures, pilot error, Bhoja Air’s safety oversight and operations management, pilot training and experience and the weather conditions at the time.

“We hope that the air accident investigators provide a prompt and comprehensive accident report so that lessons can be learned and the flight safety of Boeing 737 operations improved, in Pakistan and around the world.”