KARACHI — 2020 · Major Tragedy

PIA Flight 8303 Crash

ClosedSources: ALast updated: 14 October 2026

On 22 May 2020, Pakistan International Airlines Flight 8303, an Airbus A320 from Lahore to Karachi, touched the runway on its first landing attempt with the landing gear retracted, damaging the engines. After going around, the aircraft lost both engines on the second approach and crashed onto houses in the Model Colony neighbourhood near Jinnah International Airport. Ninety-seven of the 99 people on board and one person on the ground were killed; two passengers survived. The crash came just before Eid al-Fitr. The final report, published almost four years later, cited an approach flown far too high, disregarded warnings from air traffic control, and poor cockpit communication as the main causes.

Date: 2020
Place: Model Colony, Sindh, Pakistan, Karachi, PK
Category: Major Tragedy
Case Status: Closed
Coordinates: 24.8900, 67.1900 ↗

Timeline of Events

22 May 2020The aircraft scraped the runway gear-up and then crashed into Model Colony.
June 2020The preliminary report pointed to pilot and ATC errors.
February 2024The final report concluded 'human error'.

Sources

Source grade A: several independent sources, at least one an official record or reference work. If you spot a mistake or something missing, report it with "Suggest a correction" in the app.