US-Bangla questions Nepali probe

The US-Bangla Airlines on Sunday said the probe report released by Nepali authorities into the March 12 plane crash at Tribhuvan International Airport that left 51 passengers and crew dead is partly questionable as it skipped ‘vital issues’.

Twenty seven Bangladeshis were among the 51 victims.

US-Bangla Airlines chief executive officer Imran Asif at a press briefing at Hotel Sonargaon said they are not challenging the report and would wait till the report of Black Box decoding is released. The black box is now being decoded by Canadian authorities.

Asif questioned the promptness of Tribhuvan airport authorities in conducting rescue operation. ‘If they were prompt more lives could be saved… We have talked to a number of witnesses to the crash and they all said the rescue operation began at least 15 minutes after the crash. In such crucial situation, a single minute is much valuable,’ he said.   

He doubted the report that said a fire extinguishing team reached the spot within two minutes after the accident.

Asif also questioned absence of the clumsy communications between the Tribhuvan’s airport traffic control and pilot Abid Sultan while giving permission to land.

‘We want a fair investigation,’ said Asif claiming the aircraft was totally fit and went through regular maintenance.

He also said both captain Abid and first officer Prithula were fit for flying.

Prithula had record of flying 400 hours and she also got trained for landing in risky Nepali airports, he said. Before flying the Kathmandu flight, pilot Abid had flied only 15 hours in a week which is much below the limit.

News Courtesy:www.newagebd.net