AirBlue jet down in Islamabad

[Bahrain_flyer]

ISLAMABAD: A passenger plane of a private airliner carrying 152 people crashed in a ball of flames Wednesday into densely wooded hills outside Islamabad amid heavy rain and poor visibility, killing everyone on board.

Rescue officials said pieces of charred flesh and body parts were littered around the smouldering wreckage, partially buried on a remote hillside, in the deadliest crash involving a Pakistani passenger jet in 18 years.

Private airline Airblue's flight ED 202 from Karachi was being diverted into land at Islamabad's Benazir Bhutto International airport when witnesses saw it flying at an unusually low altitude before a defeaning boom.

The plane disintegrated into a gorge between two hills, enveloped in cloud and some distance from the road, severely hampering rescue efforts and limiting visibility for helicopters hovering overhead.

"I saw a big ball of smoke and fire everywhere with big pieces of aircraft rolling down the hill," said police official Haji Taj Gul.

"The plane was flying very low. Then we heard a loud noise," said Wajih-ur Rehman, a resident of the exclusive E-7 neighbourhood in the Margalla foothills, home to Western expatriates and some of Pakistan's elite.

"Nobody survived," Interior Minister Rehman Malik said. Bodies were mostly mutilated and in pieces, and would require identification, he said.

The civil aviation authority and Airblue said there were 152, including six crew, on board the doomed plane.

Zeeshan Haider, a Civil Aviation Authority official said seven children, including two babies, were on the flight manifest.

Reports had said a handful of people survived the disaster, but asked whether all those on board died Malik replied: "Yes, all of them are dead".

"It's a big tragedy. It's really a big tragedy," the minister said.

The US embassy said two Americans were on the flight.

"I can confirm there were two American citizens on the plane and we are working with Pakistani authorities as we normally do in cases such as this," embassy spokesman Richard Snelsire told a foreign news agency.

Officials said air traffic control diverted the plane on its final approach, owing to rain and thick cloud -- outside the normal route for aircraft flying up from the southern port city of Karachi.

The civil aviation authority said all possible causes would be investigated, including terrorism and bad weather, although officials gave no indication that an attack might have been to blame.

"The investigation teams will probe every possible reason behind the crash ranging from the bad weather to terrorism," said Riaz-ul-Haq, the authority's deputy director.

Rescue official Arshad Javed told of horrifying scenes at the crash site after a routine commuter flight turned to carnage.

"All we could see were charred hands or feet. I collected two heads, two legs and two hands in a bag.

"We shouted if anyone was there alive, but heard no voice," he said.

"The wreckage of the plane is buried under the debris. First machines have to be deployed there to remove debris off the hill and then we can reach to pull out bodies or survivors -- if any."

Police said the wreckage was scattered in three directions.

"Bodies were found in pieces. We have found equipment which may be the blackbox. Now experts will examine it," said city police chief Bani Amin.

The government declared a day of national mourning and called off a cabinet meeting as Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani expressed his grief over the "tragic incident" and offered prayers for the dead.

Anguished families were in tears after hearing of the disaster while waiting to meet their relatives at the Islamabad arrivals terminal.

"We cannot explain our agony, we don't know if he is alive," said Bilal Haider, who had come to collect his younger brother Abbas returning from a trip to Karachi for a job interview.

The Airbus 321 of Airpblue took off from Karachi before 8:00 am (0300 GMT).

"There was no technical fault in the plane when it took off," he said.

The Airbus was a single-aisle plane was a relatively young 10 years old, and the European company offered its full assistance to Pakistani investigators.

Airblue has been operating only since 2004, using new Airbus A320 and A321 aircraft on domestic routes and international services to Dubai, Sharjah, Abu Dhabi, Muscat and Manchester.

Pakistan enjoys a relatively good air safety record.

The most recent fatal commercial crash was a Pakistan International Airlines Fokker F27 that came down in July 2006, killing 45 people on takeoff from the central city of Multan, bound for Lahore.

The deadliest civilian plane crash involving a Pakistani jet was a PIA Airbus A300 that crashed into a cloud-covered hillside on its approach to the Nepalese capital Kathmandu, killing 167 people in September 1992.

[jam2k94]

إنا لله وإنا إليه راجعون

Very Sad incedient. May Allah bless all the departed souls and provide comfort to the grieving families

[Boomin Bomber IJ]

Mr. Aasim,( friend of the member of my family ) suppose to be the captain of this a/c , was withdrawn on the last moment .... [-o< lucky man !!!!!!!!!!!!!

There is another side of the picture that does not present such a lucky image. It is quite possible if he had been the skipper, 152 people would not have lost their lives!

This is true also, but there are many "what ifs" in life. Remember pilots do not usually get a second chance one mistake is all it takes, and until a report is published - if that will ever occur - then the true facts will be known. So lets not, as so many of us are doing - attribute blame so early on.

Well actually I am not trying to blame anyone. The amount of stress pilots have to go through is admirable.

I was shocked the way oxon was celebrating one friend of his was saved at the cost of so many lives.

Accidents never happen by chance. The unfortunate flight crew was presented with a singular set of circumstances; they had to make split-second decisions. Another pilot would probably have made a different decision to the same set of conditions and the outcome would have been different. Again I am not blaming the deceased flight crew. May they rest in peace!

By the way, what was ATC doing? How come they did not warn the pilot he was flying way off track and into the danger zone? Was there a highly important personality on board?

Lots and lots of important questions that might never get answered!

Since childhood, whenever I heard news of a Pakistani Airliner going down, it has always brought deep sorrow. For some reason, such incidents are always associated with loss of national pride.

Just my two cents,
BB

[Huraiz]

I was just listening a interview by a woman named Miss Janjua on BBC 5.According to her,her nephew got a call from someone aboard ill fated plane to tell him that his plane has crashed.Obviously its just her words but is it possible that passenger was alive and was in good enough condition to use his phone or may be he did it just before the crash..
This can easily be rumour,if you remember we heared same story about a text after Air France crash.Has anybody else heared about it?

[Abbas Ali]

Latest Reports:

* Flight Data Recorder (FDR) not found yet, according to latest statement by Information Minister quoted by news channels.

* At least 2-3 months required to release complete crash investigation report.

* Final moments of the ill-fated aircraft:

7:50AM - Took-off from Karachi Airport.

9:35AM - Entered Islamabad Airport approach area.

9:42AM - Last contact with ATC.

9:44AM - Crashed into Margalla Hills.

Abbas

[riz]

& i got a msg at 10:15 or so.

i dont think our so called inquiry comittee or the investigation authority is enough competent to figure out the snag/error or causes behind the disaster.
They will most probably weep of bad weather or blaim the ATC for that , pilot error is also in sight.
i wish we can have something like NTSB with no pakistani officials.

[Abbas Ali]

Does anyone know average height of Margalla Hills ? 2000 to 3000 feet ?

In video footage some pieces of wreckage appear scattered near top of a hill. Geo News channel ticker without giving info source claims that aircraft was at an altitude of 1000 feet when it crashed into a hill ?

According to Geo News, aircraft's movement was monitored by Civil Aviation Authority radar and when aircraft was seen moving away from its path then at that time radar operator informed ATC to warn pilot about presence of hills in that area. ATC forwarded radar operator's warning to pilot but did not get pilot's reply.

According to 'Express' news, ATC gave two warnings to pilot. On first warning ATC told pilot that aircraft was moving away from runway. The pilot responded that runway was in his sight. On second warning ATC told pilot that aircraft was getting closer to Margalla Hills and aircraft should take left turn, the pilot responded that Margalla Hills were in sight. After this communication, contact was lost with the aircraft.

At first warning, aircraft was 9.5 nautical miles away but should have made turn back at 5 nautical miles, according to CAA sources quoted by Express news.

So far, Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT) appears to be possible reason for this accident.

According to news reports, a Chinese aircraft was also approaching Islamabad at that time but due to poor weather the pilot of that Chinese aircraft took decision to divert to some other airfield.

Abbas

[Nasir]

Inflight Safety Video for the AirBlue A321

[Salman Haider]

Ill-fated flight's First Officer Muntajib was a former PAF fighter pilot. He had joined AirBlue recently, according to news reports.

Abbas

Squadron Leader (Retd) Muntajib, Co-Pilot of Airblue Airbus 321 crashed today in Islamabad. He flew F-16 and Mirage aircraft in PAF.

[shoaib484]

Does anyone know average height of Margalla Hills ? 2000 to 3000 feet ?

According to Wikipedia..

"The Margalla Hills—the foothills of the Himalayas—are a series of small-elevation hills located north of Islamabad, Pakistan. Margalla Range has an area of 12,605 hectares. The hill range nestles between an elevation of 685 meters (2247 ft) at the western end and 1,604 meters (5261 ft) on its east".

[Huraiz]

On AAJ news they've got ticker running which roughly translates as '' There was no collision warning device installed on this aircraft.''
I havent got clue what they on about... Anybody.
Here is the photo i took of ill fated plane at ISB back in Januray.It was waiting for flight to MAN..

[Abbas Ali]

According to 'Express' news, ATC gave two warnings to pilot. On first warning ATC told pilot that aircraft was moving away from runway. The pilot responded "We can see runway". On second warning ATC told pilot that aircraft was heading towards Margalla Hills and aircraft should turn left. The pilot responded "We are seeing it". This was the last communication between ATC and cockpit crew before contact was lost with the aircraft.

At first warning, aircraft was 9.5 nautical miles away but should have made turn back at 5 nautical miles, according to CAA sources quoted by Express news.

According to news reports, aircraft landing gear was down at the time of accident.

Here's interesting piece of information I found on Wikipedia in article about Ground Proximity Warning System (GPWS). I believe like other modern airliners, the ill-fated AirBlue A321 must also have been equipped with GPWS.

No Warning: The primary cause of Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT) occurrences with no Ground Proximity Warning System (GPWS) warning is landing short. When the landing gear is down and landing flaps are deployed, the GPWS expects the airplane to land and therefore, issues no warning. EGPWS introduces the Terrain Clearance Floor (TCF) function, which provides GPWS protection even in the landing configuration.

Late Warning or Improper Response: The occurrence of a GPWS alert typically happens at a time of high workload and nearly always surprises the flight crew. Almost certainly, the aircraft is not where the pilot thinks it should be, and the response to a GPWS warning can be late in these circumstances. Warning time can also be short if the aircraft is flying into steep terrain since the downward looking radio altimeter is the primary sensor used for the warning calculation. The EGPWS improves terrain awareness and warning times by introducing the Terrain Display and the Terrain Data Base Look Ahead protection.

Source: Wikipedia

Abbas

[ConnieMan]

Rescue efforts are on the go:

[Huraiz]

According to ARY news,black box has been found but authorities are not admitting it......According to ARY source is some sort of committee member..

[Abbas Ali]

Six crew members of AirBlue's ill-fated flight ED-202.

Two Pilots and four Flight Attendants.


Source: www.expressnews.tv

May their souls rest in peace.

Abbas