Plane lands on road

SHEIKHUPURA: An old-model Cessna 152 training airplane was forced to land on a public road near Nankana in district Sheikhupura after its engine failed around 11am on Monday.

“The plane landed on a public road three kilometres away from Nankana,” said Additional Superintendent of Police in Sheikhupura Rai Tahir. “Capitan Usman and trainee pilot Yasir landed the plane safely,” he said. The plane was headed to Khyyan Wali.

Mr Tahir said no one could be declared responsible because planes were permitted to fly after they completed checks.

However, a technical fault could develop at any time. The airplane belonged to the Lahore-based Camay Flying Club. Experts from Lahore have been sent to repair the plane. There were some reports that traffic had been blocked by the incident. However, traffic in the area was not heavy, said Mr Tahir.

Meanwhile, a Walton Airport Civil Aviation Authority official said that while a plane had never made an emergency landing near Nankana before, technical faults and emergency landings often occurred. “Emergency landings and even crashes are not a special happening now. They happen throughout the world, even in countries like America,” he said. He added that Pakistani Air Force planes had also crashed because of technical faults and engine failures.

The official said this type of plane could reach 7,000 to 8,000 metres. “But according to our report, this accident happened when the plane was around 400 metres up,” he said.

He said flying clubs often upgrade and continue to use old planes. “After upgrades, these planes become usable,” he said. Police officials arrived soon after the emergency landing. They continue to investigate. —Ali Abid and Waqar Gillani

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