Hasina sees human hand behind emergency landing of her plane

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has backed the investigators who suspect that the technical glitch that forced her plane to make an emergency landing was down to human error.

Senior Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 8 Dec 2016, 07:21 PM
Updated : 8 Dec 2016, 07:41 PM

She made the observation while responding to Raushon Ershad, the Leader of the Opposition in Parliament, on Thursday.

"A screw on the plane came loose. We have received information from Boeing. They have said such an incident has never happened on their 6,000 planes flying across the globe," the prime minister said.

"So it is suspected that it was not a technical fault, but one created by humans. There is no doubt that someone did this somehow," she added.

Biman Bangladesh Airlines' Boeing 777 'Ranga Prabhat', carrying the prime minister and her entourage to Budapest, was forced to make an emergency landing in the Turkmenistan capital of Ashgabat on Nov 27.

Speculations have been rife about the reason behind the emergency landing, with the authorities opening three investigations into the incident.

The B-Nut of 'Ranga Prabhat' was found loose. The oil sensor line beside it underwent work some days ago. 

Biman has suspended six officials of its engineering and technical departments for 'negligence in duty' following the initial report.

People related to the investigation have told bdnews24.com that a nut on the engine oil or lubricant line came loose, leading to the emergency landing.

They said the 'oil heat exchanger' or 'oil pressure sensor' next to the nut had undergone 'small repair work' some days earlier.

Civil Aviation Minister Rashed Khan Menon said the investigation had found that a 'human factor' was responsible for the incident.

He also said a security agency was checking whether it was an act of sabotage. Later, a National Security Intelligence official was included in the investigation committee formed by the ministry.

At a press conference on Saturday on her Hungary visit, the prime minister said the fault in her plane had been 'technical or manmade fault'.

Now she sees a human cause behind the incident.

She, however, did not reveal details. "We can't say anything until the investigation ends," Hasina said.

The left engine of Biman Bangladesh Airlines' plane 'Ranga Prabhat' stopped when it was flying at an altitude of 30,000 feet with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on board on Nov 27, forcing an emergency landing in Turkmenistan.

The prime minister recalled the incident when an aircraft carrying her had to delay landing at Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka because of 'something metal' lying on the runway in June.

"There were debris on the runway when I returned. No doubt the plane would have blown up right away had it landed. The pilot saw it and took timely steps. The SSF then removed the debris immediately," she said.

She also said she approved the decision to make the emergency landing in Turkmenistan on Nov 27 considering the lives of the others on the aircraft as well.

"I don't think about myself. I was worried about my co-passengers and the plane's crew," she said.