Probe finds procedure violations in Pakistan airliner crash, minister says

[ISLAMABAD] An investigation into the Pakistan airliner that killed 97 last month has found that its pilots and air traffic control officials did not follow set procedures, the aviation minister said on Wednesday.

Presenting an initial inquiry report in parliament, Ghulam Sarwar Khan said the pilots were not "focused" because of the coronavirus pandemic, although the aircraft was "100 per cent fit".

The Pakistan International Airlines Airbus A320 crashed last month in a residential district of the southern port city of Karachi, killing all but two of the 99 aboard.

Flight PK8303, from the eastern city of Lahore, came down about a kilometre short of the runway on its second attempt to land.

REUTERS