Investigation Summary
The accident was a combination of maintenance negligence and poor cockpit management. During the takeoff roll, the crew noticed a torque discrepancy and a pump malfunction but elected to continue the takeoff despite having sufficient runway to stop. Shortly after liftoff, the right engine spooled down and the propeller auto-feathered. The crew then committed several critical errors: they failed to raise the landing gear, which created excessive drag, and they began securing the engine below the minimum safe altitude of 400 feet. Furthermore, the flaps were fully retracted, which significantly reduced lift during a critical low-speed climb. The aircraft, unable to maintain altitude or airspeed, stalled and crashed approximately 1.2 nautical miles from the runway end.
Final Conclusions
The Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA) concluded that the primary cause was the crew's improper handling of an engine-out emergency, characterized by a lack of professionalism and poor airmanship. Contributing factors included a 'complex and deep-rooted' organizational culture at PIA that allowed for improper engine assembly during overhaul and ineffective quality control. The investigation also cited inadequate regulatory oversight by the CAA in monitoring PIA's maintenance and training systems.
Video Analysis
How Culture Killed 45 People | Pakistan International Airlines 688 — A detailed look at the maintenance failures and cockpit culture that led to the stall and crash of a PIA Fokker F27 in Multan.
If playback is blocked, the owner has disabled embedding — use the link above.
Airframe & Maintenance
Crew Experience
Captain
Hamed Qureshi, joined PIA in 1989.
First Officer
Abrar Chughtai.
Systems & Failure Modes
Rolls-Royce Dart 532-7 Engine
The right-hand engine suffered a catastrophic internal failure due to fractured turbine bearing bolts.
Auto-feathering System
The system correctly feathered the propeller of the failed engine to reduce drag, but the crew's failure to retract the landing gear negated this benefit.
Flaps
The flaps were found in the retracted position, which reduced the lift available to the aircraft during the emergency climb.
Interesting Facts
- 01The right engine failed because two bolts holding the rear turbine bearing fractured due to stress from improper assembly during a September 2005 overhaul.
- 02The aircraft was 42 years old at the time of the crash, having been manufactured in 1964.
- 03The Captain had 9,320 total flying hours but only 138 hours on the Fokker F27 type.
- 04The First Officer had 520 total flying hours, with 303 hours on the Fokker F27.
- 05Notable passengers included two Lahore High Court judges, the Vice-Chancellor of Bahauddin Zakariya University, seven doctors, and two army brigadiers.
Safety Actions & Advisories
Fleet Retirement
Following the accident and public outcry regarding the age of the aircraft, PIA retired its entire Fokker F27 fleet and replaced them with ATR-42-500 turboprops.
Maintenance Quality Assurance
The investigation recommended the implementation of Spectrometric Oil Analysis Program (SOAP) for all engines and stricter monitoring of maintenance quality control.
Crew Pairing and Training
Recommendations were made for better pairing of experienced and inexperienced pilots and enhanced Crew Resource Management (CRM) training.
Known Controversies & Unanswered Questions
PALPA Criticism of Investigation
Reference ↗The Pakistan Airline Pilot's Association criticized the investigation as a 'farce,' alleging that PIA and the CAA were attempting to shift all blame onto the pilots to cover up organizational and maintenance systemic failures.