RAWALPINDI, May 21: Pilot’s error had caused the PAF Fokker-27 aircraft to slam into a clouds-shrouded mountain near village Tolanj killing the then chief of air staff Air Marshal Mushaf Ali Mir along with 16 other people, said officials investigating the incident.

They were speaking at a press conference on Wednesday at the Chaklala Airbase. However, the PAF officials said the detailed report would remain a classified document.

Air Marshal Mushaf Ali, along with two principal staff officers and other senior officials, was on a routine annual inspection visit of Kohat airbase three months ago when his plane crashed.

Quoting the report, the officials said that in the final stage of the flight, the plane descended earlier than the scheduled time to maintain visual contact with the ground.

The investigators were quoted as saying that during this attempt, the aircraft descended below the prescribed safety altitude as at the time of the accident, the plane was passing through clouds without providing the pilot visual contact with the ground. “As a consequence of this crucial error, the aircraft hit a mountain, which was 3,000 AMSL and was completely obscured by the low clouds,” Air Commodore Sarfaraz said.

This early descent of the flight was against the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), whereby, in aviation terminology ‘Instrument Meteorological Conditions Procedure’ (IMCP) was to be followed, the officials said.

The officials said the pilot of the aircraft was experienced and proficient, and the mission was not demanding either.

The low-level clouds, they said, were deceptive and could have induced the pilot to take risk and begin descending earlier.

When asked about the black box, they said, its record showed no abnormality in the flight.

About the possibility of inclement weather’s role in the accident, the officials said the investigators had arrived at a conclusion that though it was cloudy, but was fit for Fokker operations.

They said the area was not hazardous and there was not any fault with the Air Traffic Control.

Replying to a question, Air Commodore Muhammad Hassan, a member of the probe team, said the inquiry had looked into all aspects and possible causes including sabotage, technical fault, bird hit, foreign object damage and conclusively ruled out anyone of the above mentioned causes.

In case of sabotage, he said, the wreckage would have spread over a large area and there should have been evidence of explosion.

He said the inquiry team, which comprised an air vice-marshal, two air commodores and four group captains and was assisted by the Civil Aviation Authority, PIA and police thoroughly investigated the accident.