Orville Wright Wilbur Wright

The Wright brothers, Orville (August 19, 1871 – January 30, 1948) and Wilbur (April 16, 1867 – May 30, 1912), were two Americans who are generally credited^[1][2][3] with inventing and building the world's first successful airplane and making the first controlled, powered and sustained heavier-than-air human flight, on December 17, 1903. In the two years afterward, the brothers developed their flying machine into the first practical fixed-wing aircraft. Although not the first to build and fly experimental aircraft, the Wright brothers were the first to invent aircraft controls that made fixed-wing powered flight possible.

The brothers' fundamental breakthrough was their invention of three-axis control, which enabled the pilot to steer the aircraft effectively and to maintain its equilibrium.^[4] This method became standard and remains standard on fixed-wing aircraft of all kinds.^[5][6] From the beginning of their aeronautical work, the Wright brothers focused on unlocking the secrets of control to conquer "the flying problem", rather than developing more powerful engines as some other experimenters did. Their careful wind tunnel tests produced better aeronautical data than any before, enabling them to design and build wings and propellers more effective than any before.^[7][8] Their U.S. patent 821,393 claims the invention of a system of aerodynamic control that manipulates a flying machine's surfaces.^[9]

They gained the mechanical skills essential for their success by working for years in their shop with printing presses, bicycles, motors, and other machinery. Their work with bicycles in particular influenced their belief that an unstable vehicle like a flying machine could be controlled and balanced with practice.^[10] From 1900 until their first powered flights in late 1903, they conducted extensive glider tests that also developed their skills as pilots. Their bicycle shop employee Charlie Taylor became an important part of the team, building their first aircraft engine in close collaboration with the brothers.

The Wright brothers' status as inventors of the airplane has been subject to counter-claims by various parties. Much controversy persists over the many competing claims of early aviators.

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.

Passengers and crew

Airblue stated that among people who were on board the airplane, there were only three foreigners—a citizen of Germany, a citizen of the United States and a citizen of Ireland. In a later statement, Interior Minister Rehman Malik stated that there were no survivors. The pilot of the aircraft was Pervez Iqbal Chaudhry, and the first officer was Muntajibud Din. Of the passengers, 110 were adult males, 29 were adult females, 5 were children, and 2 were infants.

A Libyan airliner with 104 people on board has crashed during landing at Tripoli's airport. At least 103 people have been confirmed killed, with a young Dutch boy the only known survivor. More than half the passengers are believed to have been from the Netherlands.

The African Airways plane was arriving from Johannesburg, South Africa, and is believed to have crashed just short of the runway.

The Libyan-owned airline says 93 passengers and 11 crew members were on board flight 771 as it attempted to land.

A Libyan official says a young Dutch boy who was the lone survivor did not have life threatening injuries.

Libyan media showed wreckage of the plane spread over a wide field, with rescue and emergency workers on the scene.


Officials say they have already recovered the flight's voice recorder, which may give information on the cause of the crash. Weather is not believed to be a factor. Witnesses say they did not see any fire before the plane broke apart. Authorities announced an investigation is under way, but initially ruled out a terrorist attack.

In Johannesburg, a spokeswoman for the Airports Company South Africa, Unathi Batyashe-Fillis, said the company had no confirmation on what caused the crash.

"What we do know is that the airline left last night at 2137 [1937 GMT] for Tripoli. It was scheduled to arrive in Tripoli at 6 o'clock [0400 GMT]," she said. "We don't know where the communication failure happened, but what we can confirm is that 104 passengers and crew were on board at the time."

African said its crew members were Libyan. Officials in South Africa reported most aboard the flight had planned to make a connection in Tripoli and fly on to various destinations in Europe. Crisis centers have been set up in both Johannesburg and Tripoli.

The airline maintains an Airbus fleet and had previously maintained a good safety record.

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