Air Force Trainer Crashes into Dhaka School, 27 Dead

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Bangladesh Air Force F‑7 BGI Trainer Crashes into Dhaka School

Prime Highlights

Bangladesh Air Force F-7 BGI training aircraft crashed into a school compound in Dhaka, causing massive fire and destruction.
At least 27 individuals, including students, teacher, and pilot, were dead and more than 170 injured.

Key Facts

The pilot attempted to back the plane but could not turn the aircraft away from the school building.
A high-level inquiry has been ordered to determine why the plane crashed.

Key Background

A Bangladesh Air Force F-7 BGI trainer plane crashed into Milestone School & College in the Uttara neighborhood of Dhaka on a standard training flight. There was a thunderclap bang and fireball seen by individuals on the streets when the plane came crashing onto the school ground, putting students and civilians in the entire area into a state of commotion. The aircraft damaged several of the classrooms and adjacent buildings, with gigantic columns of smoke filling the skies.

At least 27 were confirmed dead in the first accounts and included the pilot, a teacher, and 25 pupils, while over 170 were injured. The victims of the crash mostly suffered severe burns and trauma injuries. Rescue teams, soldiers, and firemen responded to the location, evacuating pupils and battling the blaze for hours. City hospitals were put on notice to accept the injured, and blood donation centers were opened to donate blood.

It is the view of the government that mechanical failure in itself occurred while the pilot was performing a training exercise. The witnesses attest that the pilot attempted to his own capabilities in attempting to steer the airplane away from populated residential plots and ended up crashing the airplane on the school block. His actions are being described as heroic as the accident would have resulted in the loss of more lives.

Bangladesh Air Force counterattacked by establishing an inquiry committee at the top level to determine the technical and operational deficiencies of the crash. The government offered ultimate support to the victim families and declared national mourning. Aviation officials suggest an investigation of maintenance work, and screening of old warplanes for security threats after recent crashes of training planes that had raised the alarm.