Airblue Flight 202
AP-BJB, the aircraft involved in the accident | |
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | 28 July 2010 |
| Summary | Controlled flight into terrain due to pilot error |
| Site | Margalla Hills, Islamabad, Pakistan 33°44′23″N 73°3′29″E / 33.73972°N 73.05806°E |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Airbus A321-231 |
| Operator | Airblue |
| IATA flight No. | ED202 |
| ICAO flight No. | ABQ202 |
| Call sign | AIRBLUE 202 |
| Registration | AP-BJB |
| Flight origin | Jinnah International Airport, Karachi, Pakistan |
| Destination | Benazir Bhutto International Airport, Islamabad, Pakistan |
| Occupants | 152 |
| Passengers | 146 |
| Crew | 6 |
| Fatalities | 152 |
| Survivors | 0 |
Airblue Flight 202 was a scheduled domestic passenger flight departing from Karachi—a sprawling coastal metropolis in southern Pakistan and the nation's largest city—en route to Islamabad, the country's capital city located in the northern region, nestled in the foothills of the Margalla Hills. On 28 July 2010, the Airbus A321-231 jet airliner serving the flight crashed into the Margalla Hills, north of Islamabad, while approaching Benazir Bhutto International Airport. All 146 passengers and 6 crew members on board were killed. The crash is the deadliest air accident to occur in Pakistan to date and the first fatal crash involving an Airbus A321.
Pakistan's Civil Aviation Authority concluded that the crash was caused by the captain's incorrect flight-control input. The captain's arrogant demeanour during the entire flight caused the first officer to lose his self-esteem, making him less likely to challenge the captain's mistakes and effectively ceased any meaningful crew resource management due to the toxic work environment.