-DHAKA
US-Bangla Airlines stated that there are contradictions in the initial report by the Nepali commission charged with investigating the airplane crash in Kathmandu
“Despite our complete faith in everyone involved, we will say that the report does not cover all the topics it was supposed to,” said US-Bangla CEO Imran Asif at a press conference on Sunday.
“We do not reject the report. But there are some contradictory issues.”
On Mar 12, US-Bangla flight BS 211 left Dhaka for Kathmandu carrying 67 passengers and four crew members. The plane crashed during the landing at the Kathmandu airport, killing 49 on the spot and two more after during their treatments. Twenty-seven of the dead were Bangladeshi citizens.
According to International Civil Aviation Organization rules, an initial report must be submitted within a month of any accident. An investigation by the Nepali government submitted a five-page report on the crash on Apr 9.
According to the report, the DASH-8 Q400 model airplane was not in ‘standard communication’ with air traffic control prior to crashing by the side of the runway.
The probe did not reach any conclusions as to why the communication lines between the pilot and the air traffic control room were hindered at the time or why the plane crashed.
On Apr 12, the Bangladeshi representative to the commission, Civil Aviation Association of Bangladesh Flight Operation Consultant Salauddin M Rahmatullah said at a press conference that the reason for the accident would be determined in the probe’s final report.
According to the initial report, the Tribhuvan runway, taxiway and landing strip were prepared for the model of airplane involved in the crash. Fire service and rescue workers were able to begin work on the crash within the two minutes set out in the regulations, it said.
US-Bangla CEO Imran Asif said he had doubt about the accuracy of this portion of the report.
“From what we heard from local eyewitnesses and the injured passengers, we believe the rescue workers did not reach the aircraft within the two minutes. If they did there would have been far fewer casualties.”
The voice recorder and flight data recorder of the crashed plane have been sent to Canada for analysis. Their investigation is ongoing.
