Controls:

VTOL Down:Flaps
Trim:Trim
AG1:Beacon Lights
AG2:Landing Lights

About Fokker F27 Friendship:

The Fokker F27 Friendship is a turboprop airliner developed and manufactured by the Dutch aircraft manufacturer Fokker. It is the most numerous post-war aircraft manufactured in the Netherlands; the F27 was also one of the most successful European airliners of its era.

A F27 Friendship of the US Army Golden Knights

The F27 was developed during the early 1950s with the intent of producing a capable successor to the earlier piston engine-powered airliners that had become commonplace on the market, such as the Douglas DC-3. A key innovation of the F27 was the adoption of the Rolls-Royce Dart turboprop engine, which produced substantially less vibration and noise which provided improved conditions for passengers; another major comfort feature was cabin pressurisation. Innovative manufacturing techniques were also employed in the aircraft's construction.

On 24 November 1955, the F27 made its maiden flight; on 19 November 1958, the type was introduced to revenue service. Shortly after its introduction, the F27 was recognised as being a commercial success. Under a licensing arrangement reached between Fokker and the U.S. aircraft manufacturer Fairchild, the F27 was manufactured in the United States by the latter; Fairchild went on to independently develop a stretched version of the airliner, which was designated as the Fairchild FH-227. During the 1980s, Fokker developed a modernised successor to the F27, the Fokker 50, which eventually replaced it in production.

About Pakistan International Airlines:

Pakistan International Airlines (Urdu: ??????? ????????? ???? ?????; abbreviated PIA, Urdu: ?????????) is an international airline that serves as the flag carrier of Pakistan under the administrative control of the Secretary to the Government of Pakistan for Aviation. Its central hub is Karachi's Jinnah International Airport, while Allama Iqbal International Airport in Lahore and Islamabad International Airport serve as secondary hubs.

PIA was founded on 29 October 1946 as Orient Airways, and was initially based in Calcutta, British India, before shifting operations to the newly independent state of Pakistan in 1947. Orient Airways was nationalised to form the Pakistan International Airlines Corporation (PIAC). The new airline commenced international services in 1955 to London, via Cairo and Rome. PIA, in 1964 became the first non-Communist airline to fly to China. The airline played a vital role in the establishment of Emirates Airline in 1985. In 2004, PIA became the launch customer of the Boeing 777-200LR. On 10 November 2005, PIA used the Boeing 777-200LR to complete the world's longest nonstop flight by a commercial airliner. This flight lasted 22 hours and 22 minutes on the eastbound route between Hong Kong and London.

PIA is Pakistan's largest airline and operates a fleet of more than 30 aircraft. The airline operates nearly 50 flights daily, servicing 20 domestic destinations and 27 international destinations across Asia, Europe, the Middle East and North America. In addition to commercial flight operations, PIA also owns the Sofitel Paris Scribe Hotel in Paris, and The Roosevelt Hotel in New York City. The airline operates a frequent flier programme, PIA Awards +, and has several codeshare and interline agreements. However, it is not part of any airline alliance.

On 30 June 2020, PIA was banned from flying in European airspace initially for six months, starting on 1 July 2020, and then indefinitely after EASA determined that the airline was not capable of certifying and overseeing its operators and aircraft in accordance with applicable international standards. This decision was made soon after it was revealed that at least a fourth of all pilot's licences issued in Pakistan were not genuine. By 9 July 2020, the airline was also banned by the United Kingdom and the United States.

About Pakistan International Airlines Flight 404:

PIA Flight PK-404, a Fokker F-27 Friendship, departed Gilgit (GIL) at 07:36 on a domestic passenger service to Islamabad (ISB), Pakistan. There were 49 passengers and five crew members on board.
At 07:40 the crew radioed that they expected over point Bravo at 07:59 and at Islamabad at 08:32. This was the last transmission received from the crew.
The flight was declared missing. It is presumed that the aircraft crashed, killing all aboard.

Accident and the victim families and friends:

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 (LoC).

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.

“It’s a tragedy that we cannot forget about,” said Arif Hussain, relative of the passengers who had switched their flight. “Who knew they would die this way, or even share the same fate.”

“We have accepted that they are no more but this date revives our wounds every year,” Hussain shared with The Express Tribune.

Hussain lost his uncle, aunt, wife and two children in the incident.

“My uncle was an assistant commissioner in Mardan town and had just been promoted as deputy commissioner then.”

Many others like Hussain have gone through the trauma of losing their loved ones in the incident.

“We were in Peshawar when the plane disappeared,” Maria Jabeen, another victim of the tragedy said.

“My grandmother and uncle were on-board"

Image of the departure and the crashsite

Jabeen, who is also from Gilgit-Baltistan, said her uncle was in his 20s and was a bright student. “My father gets sad whenever he remembers him and that’s how it saddens all of us.”

Khursheed Khan lost his elder brother, Qari Basheer Ahmed, in the incident.

“There have been many versions to this mystery. The one I lived with is that it was shot down by India for allegedly crossing the Line of Control,” says Jan.

Even decades after the tragedy, relatives of the victims wonder why successive governments have closed the chapter on the sad episode.

Disappearance:

At 07:36, a domestic scheduled passenger flight of Pakistan International Airlines took off from the northern city of Gilgit, Pakistan on its way to the national capital Islamabad. One of the pilots of the aircraft made a routine radio call at 07:40; this was the last communication with the aircraft. The aircraft is thought to have crashed in the Himalayas, but the wreckage has never been found.

Aircraft:

The aircraft was a Fokker F27-200 Friendship turboprop airliner, c/n 10207, built in 1962 and registered as AP-BBF. It had accumulated approximately 44,524 hours of flying time; and 41,524 cycles (the number of times the aircraft had been pressurized) at the time of the accident.

Search operation:

After the disappearance, several aerial search missions were launched by the Pakistani military during the first three or four days. Later land search parties were organized, comprising civilian and armed forces personnel, to search the area around the 8,000-metre-high (26,000 ft) mountain Nanga Parbat.