Pakistan International Airlines Flight 661
 | This article documents a current event. Information may change rapidly as the event progresses, and initial news reports may be unreliable. The latest updates to this article may not reflect the most current information. (December 2016) |
 AP-BHO, the aircraft involved in the accident, seen here at Quetta International Airport in 2011 | |
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | 7 December 2016 |
| Summary | Crashed; under investigation |
| Site | Havelian, Pakistan |
| Aircraft type | ATR 42-500 |
| Operator | Pakistan International Airlines |
| Registration | AP-BHO |
| Flight origin | Chitral Airport, Chitral |
| Destination | Benazir Bhutto International Airport, Islamabad |
| Passengers | 42[1] |
| Crew | 6[1] |
| Fatalities | 48 (all)[2] |
| Survivors | 0 |
PIA Flight 661 (PK661/PIA661), operated by Pakistan's flag carrier Pakistan International Airlines, was a domestic passenger flight from Chitral to Islamabad. On 7 December 2016, the aircraft operating the flight, an ATR 42-500 registered as AP-BHO, crashed in Havelian while en route to Islamabad.[3][4][5] Official sources state there were 42 passengers, 5 crew and a ground engineer aboard the aircraft.[1] All 48 people on board were killed, including singer-turned-preacher Junaid Jamshed.[2]
Aircraft
The aircraft involved in the accident was an ATR 42-500, serial number 663, registration AP-BHO.[6] It had its first flight in 2007 and was delivered new to Pakistan International Airlines. In 2009, the aircraft was damaged during a landing attempt at Lahore. It was subsequently repaired and returned to service.[7][8]
Crash
The aircraft left Chitral Airport at 15:30 PST and was expected to land at Benazir Bhutto International Airport, Islamabad at around 16:40.[5] Before the crash, the crew issued a mayday call.[9] The aircraft crashed 30 minutes after taking off,[3] leaving wreckage ablaze on the side of a hill. Eyewitnesses reported that the aircraft was on fire before it hit the ground.[4] Civilian- and Pakistan Army personnel and helicopters were sent to the area for search and rescue operations. An unnamed government official stated that all bodies were burned beyond recognition and the debris was scattered.[5]
Passengers and crew
The flight manifest showed that there were 5 flight crew; 1 ground engineer; and 40 adult- and 2 infant passengers on board the aircraft.[1] Forty-five were Pakistani citizens, the others were two Austrians and a Chinese.[5][10] Among the passengers was famous Pakistani pop star turned religious preacher Junaid Jamshed who was travelling with his wife (Nahya Junaid).[5][11] It has also been confirmed that the Deputy Commissioner for Chitral (Osama Ahmed Warraich) was a passenger.[10]
| Nationality | No. |
|---|---|
| Austrian | 2 |
| Chinese | 1 |
| Pakistani | 45 |
| Total | 48 |
References
- ^ a b c d "Flight PK661 Incident" (Press release). Pakistan International Airlines. 7 December 2016. Retrieved 7 December 2016.
42 (Male:31, Female:09, Infant:02) Including 02 Austrians and 01 Chinese
- ^ a b "PIA plane crash: All 48 on board killed; Pakistani pop star among victims". CNN. Retrieved 7 December 2016.
- ^ a b "Pakistan International Airways flight 'crashes in north'". BBC News. 7 December 2016. Retrieved 7 December 2016.
- ^ a b "Pakistani plane with more than 40 people aboard crashes in north: police". Reuters. 7 December 2016. Retrieved 7 December 2016.
- ^ a b c d e "PIA flight PK-661 crashes enroute to Islamabad". Dawn. 7 December 2016. Retrieved 7 December 2016.
- ^ Hradecky, Simon (7 December 2016). "Crash: PIA AT42 near Abbottabad on Dec 7th 2016, engine problems". The Aviation Herald. Retrieved 7 December 2016.
- ^ "Registration details for AP-BHO (PIA Pakistan International Airlines) ATR 42-500". Planelogger. Retrieved 7 December 2016.
- ^ "ATR 42/72 – MSN 663 – AP-BHO". Airfleets. Retrieved 7 December 2016.
- ^ "PIA plane crashes near Abbottabad, all passengers feared dead". The News International. Retrieved 7 December 2016.
- ^ a b "Passenger list of crashed PIA flight PK-661". Dawn. 7 December 2016. Retrieved 7 December 2016.
- ^ "Shock and horror as Junaid Jamshed dies in PIA's crashed flight to Islamabad". Dawn. 7 December 2016. Retrieved 7 December 2016.
