‘31 planes crashed in four years’
Staff Report
ISLAMABAD: Thirty-one fighter aircraft have crashed while on normal operational missions from 2000 to 2003, Federal Defence Minister Rao Sikandar Iqbal told the Senate on Wednesday.
The information was placed before the house in a written reply to a question raised by Senator Prof Ghafoor Ahmed. The minister submitted that seven pilots died during the four years and four were injured during ejection.
According to a year-wise break-up, two pilots died in 2001, one in 2000, two in 2002 and two in 2003 while two were injured in 2000 and one each during 2001 and 2003.
Nine aircraft crashed in 2001 and 2002 and six in 2000 and seven in 2003. Though the make of the aircraft had not been mentioned, they included F-7, A-5 and Mirage.
About the precautions taken to avoid the recurrence of these accidents, the defence minister said that recommendations from board enquiries to operational training syllabus and technical developments were taken.
He said that Rs 229,7055 had been paid in compensation for the damage incurred by these accidents in various parts of the country.
The defence minister informed the house that 39 people had been inducted in the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) on contract during the last four years. “Of these 39 people, 31 are from the armed forces, while eight were hired from the open market,” he added.
Among those inducted were CAA director generals, Air Marshal (r) Salim Arshed and Air Marshal (r) Pervea Akhtar Nawaz.
Meanwhile, State Defence Minister Dr Wasim Shehzad agreed with the opposition senators’ point of view that the figures for impounded vehicles, arms and narcotics from Makran division were not satisfactory and that he would take up the issue with the officials concerned in the next meeting.
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