Airblue Flight 202
AP-BJB, the aircraft involved in the accident, seen in June 2010 | |
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | 28 July 2010 |
| Summary | CFIT; pilot error, loss of situational awareness, lack of crew resource management |
| Site | |
| 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 en route to Islamabad. 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 of the two-hour flight was caused by the captain's incorrect flight-control input. Captain Pervez-Iqbal Chaudhry had spent the first hour of the flight belittling the first officer; his arrogant demeanour continued during the second hour, causing the first officer to lose his self-esteem, making him less likely to challenge the captain's multiple piloting mistakes and effectively ceased any meaningful crew resource management due to the toxic work environment.