Pakistan International Airlines Flight 404

Pakistan International Airlines Flight 404 was a Fokker F27 Friendship that disappeared shortly after takeoff on 25 August 1989. The aircraft presumably crashed somewhere in the Himalaya Mountains, Pakistan. All 54 people on board were lost and presumed dead.

Disappearance
At 07:36, the flight 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. It is speculated that the civilian aircraft was deliberately shot down by the Indian Army with an anti-aircraft missile, fired from a base along the Line of Control.

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. These searched the area around the 8000 m mountain Nanga Parbat, but found nothing. Pakistan International Airlines Flight 404 remains a mystery till date.