Night Cargo Caravan Accident: Notification and Investigation
A Pakistani-registered Cessna 208B Caravan is destroyed in a night cargo flight from Lahore to Multan. The aircraft strikes terrain about 9 km short of the runway at 02:10 local time. Both crew members are killed; there is no post-impact fire. Visibility is 800 m in fog, and ATC had radio contact until 02:04, with no distress call. The operator's maintenance is performed by a Pakistani approved maintenance organisation; the airframe was designed and built in the United States and the engine was built in Canada. The insurer wants the wreckage moved to a hangar within 48 hours. Local police want to reopen a nearby road. The operator has already sent staff to photograph the site and collect the aircraft documents.
1. Is this an accident for Annex 13 purposes, and what notifications are required?
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Yes. The flight is an accident for Annex 13 purposes: at least one fatality and substantial damage to the aircraft. Pakistan, as state of occurrence and state of registry, must notify the state of the operator (also Pakistan), the state of design and manufacture (United States), the state of manufacture of the engine (Canada) if it may have contributed, and ICAO where required. Notification should be prompt; the 48-hour insurer deadline is irrelevant to the legal notification. The operator must also notify its own safety system and PCAA.
2. Who leads the investigation and who may participate?
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The Pakistani accident investigation authority leads. It controls the site and the investigation. The US NTSB may appoint an accredited representative and advisers as state of design and manufacture; Canada may be invited for the engine. The operator is a party for technical assistance but does not control the investigation. The insurer and police are not investigators. The investigator-in-charge decides access.
3. What immediate actions should the operator and police take regarding the wreckage and records?
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The wreckage must be secured and left in place except for rescue, fire prevention or immediate danger. The police can assist with cordons but should not move wreckage without the investigator's approval. The operator should provide crew licensing, medical, training, maintenance, load, weather and ATC records; preserve electronic data; and not coach witnesses. Photographs taken by the operator's staff should be handed over. The insurer must wait for release by the investigation authority.