A government probe has found pilot error as the cause for the tragic crash of an Air Force training plane in the Milestone School and College ground in Dhaka on July 21, killing 36 people, most of whom were students of its school wing.聽聽
Apart from 28 students, the pilot was also killed in the crash.
The findings were submitted to chief adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus聽 on Wednesday by the head of the investigation committee, principal staff officer of the Armed Forces Division Lieutenant General Kamrul Hasan.
The probe also recommended shifting of all the initial Air Force training flights outside Dhaka for public safety.
The investigation committee was formed on July 29 to determine the cause of the accident.
Briefing reporters at the Bangladesh Foreign Service Academy in Dhaka, the chief adviser鈥檚 press secretary Shafiqul Alam said that the report identified the pilot鈥檚 operational error as the main cause.
鈥楧uring training, the pilot lost control of the aircraft when the situation went beyond his command,鈥� he said.
The seven-member committee interviewed around 150 people, including experts, eyewitnesses, and victims鈥� families, gathering 168 pieces of information before submitting 33 recommendations to prevent similar accidents in future.
The report also revealed that the Milestone School building had not been approved under the Bangladesh National Building Code.
The building had only one central staircase instead of the required three, which the investigation report said contributed to the high number of casualties.
Another major recommendation put forward in the probe report is to expand and improve airstrips in Barishal and Bogura to enhance safety during training operations.
The chief adviser directed that this work be carried out on an urgent basis.
The report also noted concerns about building regulations within areas recently brought under Rajuk jurisdiction, including Savar, Kanchan and Tarabo, and instructed that Rajuk鈥檚 BNBC-compliant approval system be uniformly applied in those areas.
Additional recommendations included equipping airport fire stations with foam tenders and making sure that they are dedicated for aviation-related fires and making sure that the Civil Aviation Authority enforces height and structural restrictions near runways.
The report further advised that certain high-density facilities such as schools, hospitals and warehouses should not be located within the take-off and landing zones, known as the funnel area, to reduce potential risks from future accidents.
The investigation also highlighted the shortage of training aircraft in the Air Force and recommended steps to address it.
Press secretary said that the chief adviser instructed authorities to implement the recommendations swiftly to prevent future tragedies.