ISLAMABAD: The government has contacted foreign experts to help locate the wreckage and recover the flight recorder of a K2 Airways cargo plane that crashed into the sea near Ormara on July 7, killing all five crew members, ARY News reported.
Authorities are planning a deep-sea search operation to locate the aircraft’s wreckage and retrieve its flight recorder, commonly known as the black box. The government has briefed the airline’s owners on the proposed operation.
Under the plan, the company will bear 50 per cent of the recovery costs. However, officials have not announced a confirmed date for the operation.
The Pakistan Navy previously used specialised equipment to search for the flight recorder underwater. Signals from the device reportedly stopped about a month after the crash.
Crash Investigation Continues
Meanwhile, the Bureau of Aircraft Safety Investigation is continuing its inquiry into the accident. Investigators have conducted an aerial assessment of the sea area near Ormara, where the aircraft went down.
According to sources, the team is examining how the plane plunged into the sea from a considerable altitude while returning from Sharjah to Karachi. Investigators have also completed an initial review of the aircraft’s available records.
The team has examined recovered wreckage and items found in the bag of crew member Engineer Hamid as part of the investigation.
International Assistance Under Consideration
Authorities are also considering hiring international specialist companies to help locate the aircraft’s engines, flight recorder and crew members in the deep sea, sources said.
The planned recovery operation is separate from the ongoing investigation into the cause of the crash. Officials have yet to confirm when the deep-sea search will begin or how long it may take.
The aircraft crashed into the sea near Ormara on July 7 while travelling from Sharjah to Karachi. The crash destroyed the plane and killed all five people on board.
Investigators are continuing to examine the available evidence to determine the cause of the accident.
