Probe report blames pilot error for Milestone crash

Milestone School jet crash was caused by an error committed from the pilot's side, according to the investigation report submitted to the chief adviser.

Following the findings, the Air Force has been instructed to relocate all training flights outside Dhaka for public safety, said Shafiqul Alam, press secretary to the chief adviser.

He said this at a press conference held at the Foreign Service Academy on Wednesday.

Shafiqul said the report highlighted both the shortage of aircraft within the Air Force and the specialised capabilities of the Fire Service operating in the Air Force area.

The investigation also stated that the Milestone School building was constructed without obtaining approval in accordance with Rajuk's Bangladesh National Building Code (BNBC) rules.

On 21 July, at around 1pm, a fighter jet of the Bangladesh Air Force crashed shortly after takeoff, hitting the campus of Milestone School in Uttara, where classes were in session. More than 30 people, mostly students, were killed.

Flight Lieutenant Towkir Islam Sagar, who was on his first solo flight, ejected before the crash and later died from his injuries.

The incident led to widespread criticism regarding the conduct of military training flights over densely populated areas of the capital.

Concerns were also raised over the construction of buildings in high-risk aviation zones, which many attributed to weak oversight and a lack of enforcement of urban planning regulations.