Airblue Flight 202
Airblue Flight 202 was an Airblue operated Airbus A321-200 passenger flight that, on 28 July 2010, crashed near Islamabad, Pakistan, after the flight crew reportedly lost contact with air traffic controllers whilst attempting to land in dense fog and heavy monsoon rain. All 146 passengers and six crew aboard were killed in the accident. The plane crashed in the Margalla Hills while travelling from Karachi to Islamabad. After it was confirmed the aircraft had crashed, troops and helicopters were dispatched to the accident site. At the time of the accident, it was the deadliest air disaster in Pakistan, and currently the only accident with fatalities involving an Airbus A321.
The flight left Karachi at 07:50 local time (01:50 UTC). Initial reports suggested that flight controllers at Benazir Bhutto International Airport lost contact with the aircraft at 09:43 local time (03:43 UTC) after they delayed its landing 13 minutes earlier. It was reported that the poor weather had forced controllers to divert another aircraft attempting to land 30 minutes before the crash.
Whilst the BBC reported that officials stated that "there was nothing in conversations between the pilot and the Islamabad control tower that suggests anything was wrong", The New York Times gave an account of communications between the aircraft and the ground that indicated otherwise. The newspaper claimed that the pilots were warned that they were flying away from the runway, to which the pilot responded “I can see the runway”. The controller then told the flight crew to “immediately turn left, Margalla [Hills] are ahead”, before the pilot again replied “we can see it [the runway]”. An airline official stated that the pilots did not send any emergency signals prior to the crash.
One witness on the ground, who was out walking, stated that "the plane had lost balance, and then we saw it going down." Others described the plane as being lower than it should have been. "I wondered why the plane wasn't flying higher as it was flying towards the hill", one stated. "Then within three or four minutes I heard a loud explosion". Another said that "it was raining. I saw the plane flying very low from the window of my office." Imran Abbasi told The New York Times that he "could tell it was trouble because it stayed so low even though the mountains were up ahead.” He stated that the jet was “flying as low as a four-story building” It was reported that Mr Abbasi said that "as the aircraft started to turn, the right side of its front banged into the highest mountain, emitting an instant billow of blue fire and black smoke.” An Indian television station stated that a woman told them she didn't "think [the flight crew] could see where they were going”.
The plane was found near Daman-e-Koh viewing point in the Margalla Hills outside Islamabad. The Los Angeles Times reported that "television footage of the crash site showed smoke and burning debris strewn in a swathe cutting through the forest. Rescue helicopters hovered overhead. Fire was visible, and smoke was blowing up from the scene."
The weather conditions before the accident, as detailed by the 03:00 UTC METAR report for Benazir Bhutto International Airport, were as follows: Wind from 50° (approximately north east) at 16 knots (30 km/h). Visibility 2 kilometres (1.2 mi), rain, few clouds at 1,500 feet (460 m), few clouds at 3,000 feet (910 m) with towering cumulus. Scattered clouds at 4,000 feet (1,200 m), broken clouds at 10,000 feet (3,000 m). Temperature 24°C, dewpoint 23°C. QNH 1006.5 hPa.
