ISLAMABAD - The pilots of a plane that crashed last month in Pakistan, killing 98 people, were chatting about the coronavirus crisis and tried to land with the aircraft's wheels still up, according to a report released Wednesday.

The Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) plane crashed into a crowded residential area on May 22 after both engines failed as it approached Karachi airport for a second landing attempt, killing all but two people on board, and a child on the ground.

The preliminary report outlines the flight's final minutes and a series of errors made worse by communication failures with air traffic control.

Investigators found the plane was at more than twice the correct altitude when it first approached the runway, and the tower advised the pilots to circle for a more gradual descent, the report states.

But, instead of going around, the pilots attempted to land anyway -- even though they had raised the landing gear.

Air traffic control saw the Airbus A320's engines scrape the runway with a shower of sparks, but did not tell the pilots.

The badly damaged engines failed as the plane turned to attempt a second landing.

Pakistan's aviation minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan told parliament the pilots had been discussing the coronavirus as they attempted to land and had disengaged the craft's autopilot.

"The pilot and co-pilot were not focused and throughout they were having a conversation about corona. The [virus] was on their minds. Their families were affected and they were having a discussion about it," Khan said.