Pilot dies in plane crashes in Islamabad, saving hundreds of people
Wing Commander Noman Akram was among the most experienced PAF pilots. His F-16 fighter lost altitude during rehearsals for Republic Day. Priest says Pakistanis are “proud to have such officers in our armed forces, always ready to save lives”.
Islamabad (AsiaNews) – A Pakistani Air Force pilot died when his plane crashed in Islamabad. His emergency manoeuvre saved hundreds of lives.
Wing Commander Noman Akram, one of the most experienced officers in the Pakistan Air Force (PAF), was flying his F-16 fighter as part of rehearsals for Pakistan’s Republic Day, 23 March.
For reasons yet to be ascertained, he lost control of the plane. Instead of ejecting from the cockpit, he flew the plane into the Shakarparian hill, crashing.
Fr Shahzad Arshad, priest of the archdiocese of Karachi, expressed his condolences to his family. "We are proud to have such officers in our armed forces, always ready to save lives,” he said.
The commander is being treated as a martyr. Footage show the plane soaring, then plunging, followed by column of smoke from the burning aircraft.
Police and security forces immediately cordoned off the area, one of the most crowded in the capital and seat of several museums, golf clubs as well as the Jinnah Stadium used for football matches.
The PAF has set up a board of inquiry to determine the causes of the accident. The F-16 Fighting Falcon is one of the most important pieces of military hardware in Pakistan’s arsenal.
The PAF has about 50 F-16s, each worth US million. These fighters are multi-role, single-engine fighter aircraft used frequently in air superiority missions.
“The CCTV footage of the crash” show that “Nauman did not eject while he could; instead he remained focused on saving civilian life and property” said Michelle Chaudhary, daughter of the late PAF Group Captain Cecil Chaudhary.
“The crash site is very close to the Pak-China Friendship Centre and adjacent populated areas,” she added. “He took the aircraft to an underpopulated spot” to spare lives. “May God have mercy upon him and glorify him in the hereafter.”
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