French investigators who are working on the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flight PK8303 crash site say one of the plane’s black boxes is still missing.
One of two Airbus A320 flight recorders, more commonly known as black boxes, has not been recovered, the French Civil Aviation Safety Investigation Authority (BEA) said in a quick update on social media on May 27, 2020.
Investigators working on PIA flight PK8303 crash site in Karachi, Pakistan, are still looking for the cockpit voice recorder (CVR), a device that records the audio environment in the flight deck. The flight data recorder (FDR) was already found. The French authority denied that the latter black box left Pakistan.
While the recording on what was going on in the cockpit of the downed A320 is still missing, another audio recording, which allegedly captures the last conversation between the PK8303 pilot and air traffic controller minutes before the accident, is already circulating on social media.
BEA team arrived in Pakistan and visited the crash site on May 26, 2020. In addition to the BEA, investigators delegated by the crashed aircraft manufacturer Airbus, Safran Engines and CFM Engines were also sent. The announcement was made on behalf of the Aircraft Accident Investigation Board (AAIB) team of Pakistan, which is leading the investigation.
Pakistan International Airlines flight PK8303 coming from Lahore crashed just outside the destination in Karachi Airport, Pakistan, on May 22, 2020. Of the 99 people (89 passengers and eight crew) onboard the Airbus A320, two passengers survived the accident. Eleven people were injured on the ground.
The preliminary report is expected to be completed within three months, by the end of August 2020.