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|image_size = 250px
|image_size = 250px
|alt =
|alt =
|caption = A Pakistan Army Mil Mi-17 similar to the pictured aircraft involved in the accident
|caption = A Pakistan Army Mil Mi-17 similar to the aircraft involved in the accident
|date = 8 May 2015
|date = 8 May 2015
|type =
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Revision as of 16:31, 11 May 2015

2015 Pakistan Army Mil Mi-17 crash
A Pakistan Army Mil Mi-17 similar to the aircraft involved in the accident
Accident
Date8 May 2015
SiteNaltar, Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan
Aircraft
Aircraft typeMil Mi-17
OperatorPakistan Army Aviation Corps
Flight originGilgit Airport
DestinationNaltar Valley
Passengers17
Crew3
Fatalities8
Survivors12

On 8 May 2015, a Mil Mi-17 twin-turbine transport helicopter operated by the Pakistan Army's Aviation Corps crashed in Naltar, in the Gilgit District of the Gilgit-Baltistan region of northern Pakistan.[1] At least eight people were killed in the crash;[2] the dead included the ambassadors of Norway and the Philippines to Pakistan, as well as the spouses of the Indonesian and Malaysian ambassadors to Pakistan, and three crew.[3][4][5]

Location of Gilgit-Baltistan in Pakistan

Government officials and international dignitaries were travelling to the Naltar Valley to attend the opening ceremony of a new chair-lift at a ski resort.[6] Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was scheduled to travel by fixed-wing aircraft, while 32 foreign diplomats and their spouses as well as 25 other Pakistanis were flown in from Islamabad to Gilgit Airport hours earlier, from where a flight of three helicopters was scheduled to transport them to nearby Naltar. Two of the helicopters had already landed at the time of the incident.[7] The helicopter lost control and crashed while landing; the cause of the crash has been attributed to mechanical failure of the helicopter's tail rotor.

Background

Pakistani dignitaries and international diplomats from 37 countries along with their families were on a three-day visit to Gilgit-Baltistan to attend the soft inauguration of a chair-lift at a local ski resort, as well as for excursion, inspection of local projects and high-level meetings.[1] The delegation had been flown in from Nur Khan Airbase in Islamabad to Gilgit Airport via Pakistan Air Force C-130 transport aircraft, arriving earlier in the morning. From Gilgit Airport, the delegation was scheduled to be ferried via a convoy of three Pakistan Army Mil Mi-17 helicopters to Naltar Valley, located 45 km from Gilgit, where the inauguration ceremony at the ski resort was scheduled.[1][8] Naltar is part of the Karakoram mountain range and is the oldest ski resort in the country, located at 10,000 feet.[8] At the time of the incident, the two other helicopters carrying delegation members had already landed.[9] Officials and delegates present on the ground witnessed the crash landing.[1]

The helicopter crashed landed into the roof of an Army Public School building in Naltar while it was preparing to land at the helipad nearby.[10] A local farmer who lived about 100 metres away from the school told Reuters that the school was closed at the time of the crash.[11] According to eyewitnesses, while the helicopter was landing, it lost control, began swinging, whirling and stalled mid-air, and dropped suddenly, crashing onto the school building roof. The crash was followed by an explosion and the helicopter caught fire, followed by the school building.[12] Policemen and emergency medics rushed to the site, breaking the helicopter windows and dragged people out for evacuation. An explosion a few minutes later injured some medics. The injured were immediately air lifted to the local Combined Military Hospital.[1][13] Security forces cordoned off the area, following up on security arrangements which had been made three days earlier ahead of the Prime Minister's visit.[1]

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who was on a plane and en route to Gilgit upon hearing of the incident, cancelled his trip and returned to Islamabad.[1] The Ministry of Foreign Affairs established a Crisis Management Cell for inquiries on the crash.[1] The incident was the worst aviation accident in the country since the Bhoja Air Flight 213 crash in 2012, which resulted in 127 deaths.[14] It was also the most serious aviation accident involving the deaths of dignitaries since the 1988 Pakistan One C-130 crash, which killed President Zia-ul-Haq, American ambassador Arnold Raphel and other officials.[14] Previously, there have been four Mi-17 helicopter crashes in Pakistan, including three minor ones in 2004, 2007 and 2012, and a major one in 2009.[5]

Victims

The helicopter was carrying a total of 17 passengers and three crew. Of the passengers, 11 were foreigners and six were Pakistanis.[15] Eight people died in the crash: the two pilots (Major Altamash and Major Faisal), a crew member (Naib Subedar Zakir),[15] the ambassadors of Norway and the Philippines, Leif Larsen and Domingo Lucenario, and the spouses of the high commissioner of Malaysia and ambassador of Indonesia, Habibah Mahmud, and Heri Listyawati Burhan Muhammad.[11]

The ambassadors of Indonesia (Burhan Muhammad), Poland (Andrzej Ananicz), the Netherlands (Marcel de Vink), Romania (Emilian Ion) and the high commissioners of Malaysia (Hasrul Sani Mujtabar) and South Africa (Mpendulo Jele) were among the wounded, suffering minor to critical injuries.[1][8][16][17][18] The casualties' names were released by the Director General of the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), Major-General Asim Bajwa.[8]

Investigation

The helicopter crash was attributed to technical and mechanical fault. Initial reports suggested engine failure.[8] Developing reports later revealed a failure in the helicopter's tail rotor while it was landing, which caused it to lose control and crash.[15] The black box was recovered. According to foreign secretary Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry, "It was purely an accident, and accidents do happen." Chaudhry added that the helicopter was serviced regularly, with the last service taking place 11 hours before the crash.[19] The Chief of Army Staff constituted a board of inquiry, the results of which would be made available to the public.[19]

One air force official explained how due to mountain ranges the region was an extremely difficult terrain for helicopter flights, adding "It was close to landing when it started to spin. So, most probably it is a tail rotor malfunction."[20] According to Chief of Air Staff Suhail Aman, the behaviour of the helicopter was normal before landing and the pilots had contact with the base commander. The helicopter suddenly lost control due to mechanical failure moments before it was about to land. Aman added that the pilots were "proficient and excellent" and had experience with flights in the area.[21]

Aftermath

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif declared the following Saturday a national day of mourning, during which the national flag was lowered to half-mast, and expressed "deep grief and sorrow over the tragic incident", and said he "extended heartfelt condolences to those who lost their lives in this incident."[6] The Chief of Army Staff, General Raheel Sharif, expressed his "deepest grief" at the incident, stating: "it is a sad day for all of us and our heart goes out to the bereaved families at this sad moment of their life."[15] The Chief Minister of Gilgit-Baltistan Shah Jehan Mir also expressed shock and visited the hospital to inquire about the injured.[1] Condolences also poured in from throughout the country and internationally.[1]

Pakistani authorities ruled out the possibility of a terror attack, following up on a claim by the militant group Tehreek-e-Taliban that it had downed the helicopter with an anti-aircraft missile, stating its target to be the Prime Minister.[5] This claim was promptly dismissed as "bogus" by foreign secretary Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry, who confirmed that the accident occurred due to a technical fault, adding that full security arrangements had been in place and Taliban groups did not operate in the region. The Pakistani military also ruled out terrorism as a cause of the crash. Eyewitnesses and other diplomats present on the ground confirmed that the aircraft was not hit or shot down.[1][5][8][14][22]

The Pakistan Air Force started an inquiry into the crash. Pakistani government representatives promised a transparent and full inquiry to investigate the crash from all angles. The Prime Minister and Pakistani government also contacted the governments of Norway, Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia to offer condolences over the tragedy and discuss details of the crash. Nawaz Sharif directed three federal ministers, Abdul Qadir Baloch, Ahsan Iqbal and Khurram Dastgir Khan to accompany the dead bodies with full honors on special flights to Norway, the Philippines, and Indonesia and Malaysia respectively.[8]

A day later, the injured and the bodies of the dead were transported by Pakistan Air Force aircraft back to the Nur Khan Airbase in Islamabad. They were received by top civil and military officials at the airbase, and the dead bodies were accorded military honors and protocol. The Chief of Army Staff condoled with relatives and diplomats at the airbase.[23]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "LIVE: Norway, Philippines ambassadors among 6 killed in Gilgit helicopter crash". The Express Tribune. 8 May 2015. Retrieved 8 May 2015.
  2. ^ "At least 6 people die helicopter crash in Pakistan". DAWN. 8 May 2015. Retrieved 8 May 2015.
  3. ^ Asad Hashim (8 May 2015). "Pakistan helicopter carrying foreign diplomats crashes". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 8 May 2015.
  4. ^ Jon Boone (8 May 2015). "Pakistan helicopter crash kills foreign ambassadors". theguardian.com. Guardian. Retrieved 8 May 2015.
  5. ^ a b c d "Pakistan helicopter crash kills foreign envoys". bbc.com. BBC. 8 May 2015. Retrieved 8 May 2015.
  6. ^ a b Munir Ahmed (8 May 2015). "Ambassadors killed in Pakistan helicopter crash". Associated Press.
  7. ^ "Wife of Indonesian Ambassador to Pakistan killed in helicopter crash". AntaraNews. 8 May 2015.
  8. ^ a b c d e f g "Norway, Philippines ambassadors among 6 killed in Gilgit helicopter crash". DAWN. 8 May 2015. Retrieved 8 May 2015.
  9. ^ Greg Botelho, Sophia Saifi and Saleem Mehsud, CNN (8 May 2015). "2 ambassadors killed in Pakistan helicopter crash - CNN.com". CNN. {{cite web}}: |author= has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  10. ^ "Pakistan mourns ambassadors, others killed in chopper crash". Yahoo News. 8 May 2015.
  11. ^ a b "Pakistan helicopter crash kills Norwegian, Philippine ambassadors". Reuters. 9 May 2015.
  12. ^ "Ambassadors of Philippines and Norway among 7 killed in Gilgit helicopter crash". The News International, Pakistan. 8 May 2015.
  13. ^ "Unsung heroes: Police first to reach MI-17 crash site". The Express Tribune. Retrieved 11 May 2015.
  14. ^ a b c http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2015/05/09/Lebanese-ambassador-to-Pakistan-was-not-on-doomed-helicopter.html
  15. ^ a b c d "Ambassadors of Philippines and Norway among 7 killed in Gilgit helicopter crash". The News International, Pakistan. 8 May 2015.
  16. ^ "Who Is Leif H. Larsen, Norway's Ambassador Killed In The Pakistan Helicopter Crash?". Bustle.com. 8 May 2015.
  17. ^ "MAE: Romania's ambassador to Pakistan, slightly injured in helicopter crash, did not need hospitalisation". agerpres.ro.
  18. ^ "South African HC says Gilgit crash was 'unfortunate incident' - PAKISTAN - geo.tv". geo.tv. 9 May 2015.
  19. ^ a b "No foul play: Gilgit helicopter crash was due to technical fault, says foreign secretary". The Express Tribune.
  20. ^ "Foreign Envoys Killed in Pakistan Copter Crash". VOA.
  21. ^ "Helicopter lost control moments before landing, says Air Chief - PAKISTAN - geo.tv". geo.tv. 9 May 2015.
  22. ^ "'Round, round, round, and there it hit the ground': Envoy recalls moment when chopper crashed". The Express Tribune. Retrieved 11 May 2015.
  23. ^ "Civil, military leadership receive bodies of Gilgit crash victims at Nur Khan airbase". The Express Tribune.
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