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F28 landing

19 October 2004, 18:00 PM
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
By Anonymous, Dhaka
19 October 2004, 18:00 PM
. PHOTO: AFP
While landing in heavy downpour Biman's F28 aircraft with 82 passengers and crew skidded off the runway at Sylhet Osmani Airport on the morning of October 8 and hit the edge of a brook 200 ft away. If this hurdle of the brook was not there, the aircraft would have hit the boundary wall and burst into flames causing death to all on board due to burn and asphyxiation.

A committee has been formed under the leadership of CAAB Chairman and I would humbly suggest that the committee consider the following while conducting the investigation:

1. Was there any technical fault in the aircraft?

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2. Was there any pressure created on the captain to operate the flight in inclement weather because some VIPs were travelling ?

3. What was the former MD of Biman doing in the cockpit during the critical landing of the aircraft which was against international regulations? As the flight was being operated in inclement weather all the way from Dhaka, all passengers, including the former MD, were supposed to be in their seats with seat belts fastened and this had to be checked and rechecked by the cabin crew.

4. Did the woman captain feel distracted due to the presence of a third person in the cockpit? Did she at any point of time decide to turn back the aircraft and not land due to poor visibility and was pressurised to make the attempt because some VIPs were on board who had important business in Sylhet?

I do hope the committee report will be made public.