 "Firefighters work to remove the wreckage from a building, after an air force training aircraft crashed into Milestone College campus, in Dhaka, Bangladesh (Reuters)")
Pilot error was the direct cause of the catastrophic fighter jet crash that killed 36 people at a private school in Dhaka this past July, the government announced on Wednesday, detailing the findings of its official inquiry.
The crash was the country’s worst aviation disaster in decades.
The Chinese-made F-7 BJI aircraft slammed into the two-storey Milestone School and College on July 21, shortly after students had been dismissed from classes, resulting in 36 fatalities and injuring more than 170 people, many severely burned.
The government released the conclusion following the submission of a committee report to the interim leader, Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus.
“There was an error in his take-off,” Shafiqul Alam, the Chief Adviser’s press secretary, confirmed to reporters, establishing pilot negligence as the decisive factor.
Contradicting initial military claims
The finding contradicts the initial assessment provided by the military.
Immediately following the crash, the air force had stated that the 27-year-old pilot, who was on a routine training mission, had “reportedly encountered a mechanical failure.”
The military initially credited the pilot with attempting to divert the jet away from densely populated areas before ultimately crashing into the school building.
The tincident led to widespread public anger and calls for the Air Force to relocate its training operations outside of the densely populated capital. While the Air Force initially resisted, citing strategic importance for maintaining a base in Dhaka, the investigation report has now backed the public demand.
The official government investigation into the deadly jet crash made two major suggestions to improve safety and prevent future accidents.
First, the report recommended that the Air Force move its training exercises outside of Dhaka, away from the crowded capital city.
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View AllSecond, it advised the Civil Aviation Authority to ensure that essential buildings like hospitals, schools, warehouses, and small factories are not constructed near airports.