Narrative:A Boeing 720-040B passenger plane, operated by Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) was destroyed when it crashed while on approach to Cairo International Airport (CAI), Egypt. All 13 crew members and 108 passengers were killed. Six passengers survived.
Flight PK705 was the inaugural service from Karachi, Pakistan to London, U.K. Intermediate stops were planned at Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, Cairo, Egypt and Geneva, Switzerland.
The flight departed Dhahran at 21:22 UTC for Cairo. The flight was uneventful and at 23:40 UTC, 01:40 local time, it was cleared for a left-hand circuit for runway 34. At 23:45 the crew reported turning on finals. The Boeing 720 kept descending and struck the ground short of the runway in a slight left-bank attitude with its undercarriage up and flaps at 20 degrees.
Probable Cause:
PROBABLE CAUSE: "The aircraft did not maintain the adequate height for the circuit and continued to descend until it contacted the ground. The reason for that abnormal continuation of descent is unknown."
Classification:
Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT) - Ground
Sources:
» ICAO Circular 88-AN/74 Vol I (113-117)
Photos
accident date:
20-05-1965type: Boeing 720-040B
registration: AP-AMH
Map
This map shows the airport of departure and the intended destination of the flight. The line between the airports does
not display the exact flight path.
Distance from Dhahran International Airport to Cairo International Airport as the crow flies is 1872 km (1170 miles).
Accident location: Global; accuracy within tens or hundreds of kilometers.
This information is not presented as the Flight Safety Foundation or the Aviation Safety Network’s opinion as to the cause of the accident. It is preliminary and is based on the facts as they are known at this time.