Staff Reporter :
The inquiry committee found that the aircraft crash at Milestone School and College on July 21 occurred due to pilot’s error during training.
The revelation came when the inquiry committee formed to investigate the tragic crash of Air Force training aircraft at Milestone School and College on Wednesday submitted its final report to Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus.
“Head of the investigation committee Lieutenant General SM Kamrul Hassan, Principal Staff Officer (PSO) of the Armed Forces Division, formally handed over the report to the Chief Adviser at the State Guest House Jamuna here,” Chief Adviser’s Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam said during a press briefing at the Foreign Service Academy.
He said that the investigation found that the crash occurred due to a pilot’s error during flight training, which caused the situation to spiral out of control.
The tragic accident took place when an Air Force training aircraft crashed onto the school premises, killing 36 people – 28 students, three teachers, three parents, and one staff member.
The probe committee formed on July 29, interviewed around 150 individuals, including experts, eyewitnesses, and victims’ families, and gathered 168 pieces of information, the press secretary said.
He said that the committee placed 33 recommendations to the government based on the findings.
Shafiqul Alam said that the report proposed that, for public safety, all initial Air Force training should henceforth be conducted outside Dhaka.
It also revealed that the school building was not built following the Bangladesh National Building Code (BNBC) of Rajuk, he said.
He further said that the structure had only one staircase instead of the required three, which the committee noted could have significantly reduced casualties.
The Chief Adviser instructed to expand the runways of Barishal and Bogura airports, the press secretary said.
Observing that several areas under Rajuk’s jurisdiction – such as Savar, Kanchan, and Tarabo municipalities – were issuing building permits without strictly following BNBC regulations, Professor Yunus emphasised on following the guidelines strictly.
The Chief Adviser also instructed that Rajuk’s building code be uniformly implemented in these areas to ensure construction safety to avoid such incident.
Chief Adviser’s Deputy Press Secretary Abul Kalam Azad Majumder, Senior Assistant Press Secretary Foyez Ahammad and Assistant Press Secretary Shuchismita Tithi were also present on the occasion.
