Biplob Rahman
BDNEWS writer
Dhaka, July 1 (BDNEWS) – In the annals of country's civil aviation history, some 13 fatal aircraft accidents happed killing 53 people.
The latest accident occurred Friday morning at the Chittagong Shah Amanat International Airport. However, there was no casualty in the accident.
Sources said, a return flight from Dubai (BG 048) of the Biman Bangladesh Airlines lost its control in gusty wind while landing at the airport and skidded nearly 2000 feet off the runway. Four people received minor injuries.
Civil aviation sources said the deadliest accident took place in 1984 leaving all 50 people on board dead of a F27 aircraft of Biman.
Two pilots were killed when a training aircraft of Biman met an accident in 1998 and another trainee pilot lost his life in 2002.
In addition to the accidents, no fatal casualty was reported in other accidents.
After the inception of passenger flights of Biman in 1972, the first accident occurred in 1975. Flight Captain Rafi landed a F27 plane at the Tejgaon airport without preparing its wheels. Though the passengers of the plane escaped death, the plane was badly damaged.
In 1976, a F27 Biman aircraft was damaged when captain of the plane made a crash landing.
Then came the deadliest accident in 1984 when all people of the plane, including its pilot, co-pilot and cabin crew, died on the spot. The accident occurred at the Kurmitola Airport when flight captain Roksana crash-landed a F27.
In 1989, a F28 plane of the Biman made an emergency landing on a paddy field in Rajshahi leaving the craft partially damaged. In 1996, captain of a DC10 aeroplane made belly landing without preparing its wheels at ZIA international airport.
An ATP aeroplane crashed outside the runway of the Chittagong Airport in June 1997 after being caught in stormy weather. In the same year, another Biman aircraft (F28) crash-landed at the Sylhet Airport on December 22. The aircraft was totally damaged but none killed in the accident.
Another aircraft (L 401) of Parabat Airlines crashed on June 28, 1998, when its captain made an emergency landing on a jute field at Savar.
On August 18, 1998 an Airbus (A 300) of Qatar Airways faced technical fault before taking off the Zia International Airport. All the wheels of the plane were caught by fire as the pilot pressed hard-break.
In the same year, a training plane of Parabat Airlines crashed at Postogola in Dhaka due to technical fault leaving its pilot Faria Lara and co-pilot Rafiqul dead on September 27.
In July 2002, another training plane of Parabat made a crash landing at an open field of Uttara in Dhaka losing its control killing its lone pilot Mozammel.
A F28 aircraft of the Biman of Dhaka-Sylhet route lost its control and skidded off the runway at the Sylhet Airport on October 8, 2004.
A total of 62 people, including its pilot, co-pilot and some VIPs, were injured in the accident but nobody died.
BDNEWS/1732 hrs
