| 2019 Pakistan Army King Air 350i crash | |
| Image Upright: | 1.1 |
| Occurrence Type: | Accident |
| Summary: | Impacted residential structures, cause remains unknown at this time |
| Site: | Mora Kalu, Rawalpindi, Punjab, Pakistan |
| Aircraft Type: | Beechcraft King Air 350i |
| Operator: | Pakistan Army |
| Tail Number: | FL-766 |
| Origin: | PAF Base Nur Khan, Pakistan |
| Destination: | Unknown |
| Occupants: | 5 |
| Crew: | 5 |
| Fatalities: | 5 |
| Survivors: | 0 |
| Ground Fatalities: | 13 |
| Ground Injuries: | Unknown |
On 30 July 2019, a Beechcraft King Air of the Pakistan Army crashed near Bahria Town, Rawalpindi. All five crew members, as well as 13 civilians, were killed when the plane crashed into a residential area.[1]
The accident aircraft was a Beechcraft King Air 350i registered in 2011 as FL-766 and operated by the Pakistan Army.[2]
The accident occurred at 02:00 local time (07:00 GMT)[3] when a small Beechcraft King Air military plane operating a training flight for the Pakistan Army crashed into houses in the city of Rawalpindi, killing 18 people, many of whom were on the ground.[4]
However, according to a local rescue member who said that 19 bodies including those of the five crew members plus the bodies of 14 civilians were taken to a local hospital. Among the victims there is also a family of 8 people, including 4 children.[5]
After dawn, flames, damaged houses and wreckage became visible in the village of Mora Kalu outside Rawalpindi. When the rescue operations were completed, the police and military cordoned off the residential area where the crash occurred to search for the wreckage of the plane and begin investigations at the crash site.
Rescue officials said that all the occupants of the plane including the two pilots were found dead and that 13 people on the ground also died among the deceased, including 5 children.
According to an official from Pakistan's emergency services, another 15 people were injured but there were doubts about the number of deaths because it could increase given that many of the injured were in serious condition.
According to a tweet from the Pakistani Government, Prime Minister Imran Khan expressed his condolences to the families of the victims and wished a good recovery to the injured.[6]
The accident has raised huge doubts about Pakistan's aviation safety due to many plane and helicopter crashes over the years. Among these are Pakistan International Airlines Flight 661 which occurred in 2016 when an ATR 42-500 crashed killing 47 occupants and AirBlue Flight 202 occurred in 2010 on an Airbus A321, which is considered the accident with the most victims on Pakistani soil with a total of 152 victims.[7]
The probable cause remains unknown, but it was reported by the BBC that the plane made a sharp turn shortly before the crash which may have led to the impact with residential structures.[8]