The Inquiry Conunittee on Biman's DC-10 accident has held the captain, the co-pilot and the air traffic controller responsible for the May 18 crash and suggested their demotions, committee sources said.

"The committee recommended that captain Azizullah. co-pilot Kaiser and traffic controller Abdur Rahman should be demoted from their present position and should undergo further training," a member of the seven-man committee told The Daily Star on condition of anonymity.

Commanding pilot Captain Azizullah and second-in-com-

mand Captain Kaiser will be assigned to fly Idw category turbo-prop ATP airCraft if the recommendations are-pcccpled. the source said. ,

The probe body made 25 recommendations in its more than 100-page report. The details of the recommendations were not immediately available.

The seven-member committee. headed by Group Captain Nazmul Huq Chowdhury. Member (Operation). Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CA-AB). was formed following the accident on May 18 last year in which one of Biman's four DC-1 Os skidded off the runway with

135 passengers and crew on board at Zia International Airport (ZtA). The passengers, who were an a flight from Jeddah, however, survived unhurt.

The other members of the committee were P K Biswas. Chief of-Airworthiness, CAAB. Captain Mustaq, former chief of flight operation, Blman, Flight Engineer Islam, Ground Engineer Chowdhury, Squadron Leader Kazi and Squadron Leader Anis of Bangladesh Air Force.

During their six-month inquiry. they found that the air-craft offshot some 5.000 ft from the touch-down point while landing anlld stormy weather.

If the pilots had 7.100 ft runway passage in front of them, only then they could manage to stop the aircraft smoothly but they had only 6000 ft. The captain had to Drake hard to stop the 274-seater aircraft within 6.000 ft . which caused the accident. The captain could not explain before the probe body why it happened. the source added.

The report has been submit ted to the Chairman of the CAAB Air Commodore Shamser Ali. who will submit it to ihe Ministry of Clvil_Aviation and Tourism for further action.

Meaifwhlle, the damaged aircraft has been repaired at a cost of Tk 60 crore and sent to Rome. Italy, for d-checklng at the workshop of Alitalia. the maintenance agency lor Biman.