Mystery over the Himalayas

credits to the person who wrote this

It was a sunny day on August 25, 1989, when a Pakistan International Airline’s flight, PK-404, touched down on the narrow runway of Gilgit airport. The plane, Fokker-F27 Friendship, taxied to a halt at the terminal. The passengers exited and the crew began preparing for the return flight to Islamabad.

The plane, with 54 passengers— five crew members and 49 passengers— on board took off at 7:35am. Among the passengers were four members of a family. But soon after the take-off, the aircraft disappeared without a trace, fuelling speculation that it might have been downed by India’s army near the Line of Control

Almost 27 years on, the mystery could not be resolved.

According to reports, the flight, a Fokker-F27 Friendship, disappeared shortly after take-off. It is claimed that one of the pilots had made a routine radio call at 7:40am, the last communication the aircraft made. The aircraft is believed to have crashed in the Himalayas, but the wreckage has not been found till date. The military launched massive search operations in the snow-capped mountains for several days following the tragedy but to no avail.

AP-BBF, the aircraft involved in the accident pictured here Karachi, 1984.