Christiaan Triebert Profile picture
Visual Investigations at @nytimes. Previously with @Bellingcat, @Airwars. DMs open.

May 22, 2020, 7 tweets

Flight 8303 — an Airbus A320 with at least 99 people on board — has crashed right next to Jinnah International Airport in Karachi, Pakistan. Geolocation: google.com/maps/place/Mod…. Updates via @salmanmasood: nytimes.com/2020/05/22/wor….

Flight #PK8303 was supposed to be a happy sign that Pakistan was moving past corona and inching towards normalcy, with families set to reunite after two months in lockdown to spend Eid al-Fitr together, as @zalmayzia, @salmanmasood and @Abihabib describe. nytimes.com/2020/05/22/wor…

But #PK8303 aborted its initial approach to the airport due to technical problems and performed a go around. A local spotter photographed the plane as it prepared for another landing. Undersides of both engines appear burnt and ram air turbine is deployed.

As #PK8303 is making a go around, its pilot also reports a double engine failure. Air traffic control (ATC) informs the pilot that runways 25L and 25R are both available. Seconds later, the pilot issues a mayday alert. nytimes.com/video/us/polit…

A surveillance camera captures the moment Flight #PK8303 crashes into a densely populated neighborhood known as Model Colony. A horrifying view. nytimes.com/2020/05/22/wor…

The crash site is just over a kilometer short of runway 25L, suggesting #PK8303 was about to land at Jinnah Int'l Airport. nytimes.com/2020/05/22/wor…

At least two passengers survived the #PK8303 crash. Muhammad Zubair is one of them, and recalls what happened as he opens his eyes, saw a lot of fire and heard screaming. “I opened my seatbelt and saw some light. So, I went towards the light.” urdunews.com/node/480681

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