What Happened to Bhoja Air Flight 213?

Friday's air-crash in Hussainabad near the Benazir Bhutto International Airport was the second worst aviation disaster in the history of Pakistan (behind 2010's Airblue crash). 127 lives ended in a matter of second, 127 dreams ended unrealized.

Apart from possible technical and human errors, a few other possible theories can be put forward to account for this terrible air-crash.

Microbursts

A microburst often causes aircraft to crash when they are attempting to land. It is an extremely powerful gust of air that, once hitting the ground, spreads in all directions. As the aircraft is coming in to land, the pilots try to slow the plane to an appropriate speed. When the microburst hits, the pilots will see a large spike in their airspeed, caused by the force of the headwind created by the microburst. A pilot inexperienced with microbursts would try to decrease the speed. The plane would then travel through the microburst, and fly into the tailwind, causing a sudden decrease in the amount of air flowing across the wings. The decrease in airflow over the wings of the aircraft causes a drop in the amount of lift produced. This decrease in lift combined with a strong downward flow of air can cause the thrust required to remain at altitude to exceed what is available.

This might explain the sudden 950 foot drop that the aircraft underwent prior to the incident.

Debilitating Weather Conditions

The weather was ominious that day.

The Pakistan Meteorological Department had issued two separate warnings to the Civil Aviation Authority of Pakistan( CAAP) about possible, hazardous flying conditions. According to Director General Pak Met, Arif Mahmood, the warnings included "wind gusts approaching 100 kph and low visibility due to heavy rain and cloud cover". He further stated that "the aircraft should never have been given the permission to land at the Benazir Bhutto International Airport but instead should have been redirected to Allama Iqbal International Airport in Lahore."

The Civil Aviation Authority of Pakistan's head, Nadeem Yousafzai, downplayed the importance of the met office's warnings and said that they were not enough to close down an entire airport.

Pilot Error

The tires did not burst.

Eyewitnesses state that they saw the aircraft hit an open field, bounce back upwards and then explode in mid-air. The negligible damage to the surrounding homes supports this theory because if the aircraft had landed and then exploded then the damage would have been extreme. The radius through which the debris and the bodies were found was also just a shade over 1 kilometer. Another fact that propagators of this theory use to supports their notion is the relatively pristine state of the tires. Normally, if an aircraft impacts the ground like that, the resulting g-forces destroy the tires. However the point to note here is that the involved aircraft was a Boeing 737 that had a retractable landing gear.

Retractable Landing Gear

What is not accounted for here are the tire marks found in the area. This means that the pilot had attempted to land in the area first. A little distance from the initial landing site are some destroyed trees and an impact crater. Near the impact crater is a roughly formed ramp which the doomed aircraft might have encountered and this might explain the 'bouncing back'.

The tire-tracks mean that the landing gear was opened.

The impact-crater just ahead of the tire-tracks.

Normally, after the pertinent control tower has communicated the required information to the pilot, the final decision about landing is upon his/her own discretion. Being a private airline pilot, Mr. Afridi, might have considered the losses Bhoja Air might have borne if the jet were to be redirected to another airport (parking fees, fuel expenses, passenger services etc) and might have decided against it. The private airline companies in Pakistan, emphasize a lot on profits and thus the degenerating service and passenger safety (This is the second major private airline crash in Pakistan in the last two years, both being the top two worst aviation disasters in the country's history).

The altitude of the aircraft was also reported as exceedingly low and the sound of its engines as a deafening thunder by the local populace. A point to note here is that, all the aircrafts that take-off from or land at the Benazir Bhutto International Airport pass over this locale.

Technical Fault

Some eyewitnesses, especially those that were traveling on the nearby Islamabad Expressway, report a fire blazing in one of the engines that gradually started to envelope the whole plane. The plane was described by some, as a blazing ball of fire. This might explain the badly charred pieces of the airplane. However, it is premature to say what exactly caused this fire, if it ever existed that is.

The co-pilot of the doomed flight was the last person to communicate with the ATC Tower. Three minutes before the crash he exclaimed: "I have lost control over the airplane!" and after that the communication link was broken

Interestingly, a preliminary investigation by the CAAP yields that the plane exploded in mid-air because it was flying too fast and too low. According to statistics made available the plane was flying at an altitude of 200 feet when it would have been at 1200 feet or more. It was also flying exceedingly fast for a plane that is to land in less than 4 minutes (500 kph).
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Location of the crash, the road that runs through the image is the Islamabad Expressway.

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Science Watch (July 2011)

Picture of the Month

Tearing Apart: To begin with, this isn't a penguin but a cell in the separation process of cellular divisions. It was previously understood that only microtubules were responsible for pulling apart cells but this recent 3-D image shows that some unknown filaments also have an integral role in cellular division. (Photo: American Association for Advancement of Science)

Weevils have nuts and bolts for knees!
A research report published in Science magazine explains the Papuan Weevil's knee structure to resembles something that was restricted to hardware stores up till now, a nut and a bolt!
Using X-ray microtomography (which is just a fancy way of saying super zooming), the researchers found that the weevils turned their spiral legs in threaded sockets with the help of effector muscles, much like screwing a nut in a bolt. This helped them to find footholds in their habitat; which is full of leaves and twigs.
Well, discoveries like this give solidity to the fact that nature is, in fact, the best engineer of all.

'Printing' Blood Vessels
A California based bio-tech company, Organavo, recently stated that it has constructed the first synthetic, natural blood vessel. This may sound as an oxymoron but this blood vessel is synthetic in name alone as it uses entirely human cells for its construction; endothelial cells for lining the internal walls, smooth muscle cells for regulating blood pressure and fibrous cells for structural support and endurance.
The whole process is done in a '3D printer' where tiny robotic arms gel together the cells in an orderly fashion at the rate of 0.1 inch\minute. The newly synthesized vessel is then acclimatized to its subsequent job by allowing some stuff like blood plasma to flow through it for around a month.
Such vessels can have a great impact on how bypass surgeries are done. The surgeons can now cut that part of finding functional veins from the patient's own body, making the operation a lot easier.

The Crocodile on Steroids

The skull belonging to the 'most colossal of all sea monsters' was recently unveiled at the Dorset County Museum in the UK. It measures 2.4m and is 95% complete. Although the rest of the body of Pliosaur is not yet found and may never be found but according to estimates it may measure 15-18m from tip to tail: just imagine yourself standing face to face with this giant...you will die before those razor sharp teeth start shredding you!!

Buried Mountains
Gamburtsev Mountains, may sound like just another mountain range on Earth but in reality they are the most unique of them all because they lie below the surface of the Earth! With peaks going up to 9000 feet, valleys dotted with an interconnected lake system and a sheet of Antarctic ice for a sky it is without doubt the most peculiar mountain system ever discovered.
Although they were uncovered by a Russian seismic survey in 1950 but research work was very limited until University of Columbia geophysicist Robin Bell took to studying the mountains and has revealed some fascinating news including the obfuscated origin of this range. "Normally mountains arise when you have smashed together continents, from volcanoes or subduction zones," Bell says. "But none of these exciting things happened under Antartica for a long time. That is the mystery."

One Liners

Pakistan became the sixth country in the world, and the first Muslim state to map the genome of one of its citizens.

The Atlantis became the last shuttle to be launched into space on July 8th 2011 at 3:29 p.m GMT. 

Researchers working at a Leicester residential home have found that anti-microbials containing silver are capable of killing bacteria with an efficiency of 94%.

Australian researchers at the University of New Castle have developed a nitric oxide cream that increases the time taken by deadly snake venom to reach the blood stream by 50%.

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[Tech Tips] Metro 2033 Crash Fix

Well those Ukrainians are sure masters at producing post-apocalyptic gaming titles and Metro 2033 is no exception following the footsteps of the hit S.T.A.L.K.E.R series. I didn't play this game when it came out last year and just casually downloaded it around a week from now and I was in for a surprise...the game won't work past the main menu or when you were lucky enough to load a mission (it crashed on the loading screen). I was damn irritated as nothing would fix this issue despite me having all the firepower to run this game at its max.

And then I discovered the fix :).

> Download the Metro2033_fix file. Use 'relegated007' as the password.
> Install Metro 2033 fix.exe (which is basically a v1.1 patch).
> Copy the contents of the crack folder into your main Metro 2033 folder (the one with the executable in it)
> Run the game, tweak the settings the way you want but remember to disable "Advanced Physics". Your game might crash to the desktop after or during the saving of the settings. Repeat the process if it occurs in between your work, remembering to start in "Safe Mode". (the game will automatically display a dialog after you start the game launcher after a crash)
> After you have played with the settings..play the game!!

Note: The game will still crash on normal mode. This fix works by providing you a safe mode that is 'crash proof'. So you will have to start the game twice each time you wanna play it. Well it is better than not playing the game at all, isn't it?

I hope this helps. :)

IF YOU WANT US TO WORK ON ERRORS IN OTHER GAMES, YOU CAN DO SO BY DROPPING A COMMENT BELOW!

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[Tech Tips] Dirt 3 'Season 2 Won't Unlock' Fix

Well this Dirt 3 is sure a good game but it is giving the players who use cracks a hard time (much like that frikkin' Batman: Arkham Asylum).
Recently a few of the people that used my original Dirt 3 fix pointed out that they can't continue beyond Season 1 and into Season 2.
I found two reasons for this issue...

1. You don't have a podium finish in the Season 1 finale.
In this case replay the event.

2. It is some sort of an anti-crack protection.
This technique was initiated by Rocksteady and implemented in that Batman: Arkham Asylum game in which players that haven't legally bought the title can't continue past certain points during the gameplay (although all had some potential workarounds ;P). I guess Codemasters are trying to do the same but you can evade this too.
> Goto C:\Program Files\Codemasters\Dirt 3\database or a variant path.
>  Find a file name database_restrictions.xml (This file basically governs the locked stuff in the game and when it is to be unlocked)
> Move it to a folder other than Codemasters.
> Start the game with my original fix.
> After you have loaded your save game the game will ask you that do you want to unlock all the cars and stuff. Select No. (Selecting Yes will lead to complications later on, including crashes, as some of the stuff that has been unlocked is DLC that isn't actually present in the game installation!!)
> Continue your tour!

I hope this helps. :)

IF YOU WANT US TO WORK ON ERRORS IN OTHER GAMES, YOU CAN DO SO BY DROPPING A COMMENT BELOW!

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[Relegatedz Rankings] The Hottest Around

In 1912, an American scientist named Wilbur Scoville devised a scale to measure the hotness factor of a pepper or other stuff containing the compound capsaicinoid. Capsaicinoid is an irritant for us mammals as it triggers a burning response in whatever tissue it comes in contact with...you know the feeling!!

A rough estimate of the torture you have to induce from a fiery habanero is given in terms of Scoville units, which is basically the amount of times you have to drink water over the frikkin' chili to cut down its effect to zero!!! Kidding!

10. A'ji Dulce

0 Scoville Units

Native to the South Americas, this chili aint worthy to be called a chili. It is sooo sweet you can have a bowl of it for dinner and then brag about it to your friends, 'You know I had a bowl of chilies for dinner last night, god promise!' 



Anytime!

9. Peperoncini

100 Scoville Units

You knew it was Italian didn't you?? Well the Peperoncini doesn't live up to its mafioso name and delivers just a mild punch when you were expecting a full burst of Thompson fire from it. You can take it twice or thrice before feeling a bit of that 'something'.

Why the hell did this shoe show up in our Google Images search for peperoncini?



8. Jalapeño

Spicy? Hell Yeah!!

2500 Scoville Units

Native to Mexico this weirdly named chili is smoked, stuffed with cheese and eaten and jelled into jellies to poison schoolchildrens' lunchboxes; well you can't blame the Mexicans for such patriotic behavior, we would have done the same if we had an indigenous celebrity chili (see pic!). You go into a Mexican restaurant and half the menu is stuffed with jalapeno delicacies Caviche Accapulco, Burrito Casserole...hell they are a bunch of tongue twisters!!!

Well if you have eaten a jalpeno raw then your eyes might water and a little burning can be felt on the tongue. You can walk away harmless from this ordeal.

7. Serrano Pepper

Chilliland!

20,000 Scoville Units

One of the most used chilies in Mexico, Serrano is an uninviting, sharp red pepper common to the eastern Mexican states of Puebla and Hidalgo. It is mostly eaten RAW and packs quite a punch. You might experience a sharp biting sensation on your tongue along with watery eyes and a runny nose. A box of tissues is a must while eating it raw.

6. Cayenne Pepper

Well it does seem sexy :-P

50,000 Scoville Units

This luscious, red chili is named after the city of Cayenne in the French Guinea. However it is the perfect example for the adage "looks can be deceiving" because if you are unlucky enough to get one of these in your mouth you are bound to get some uncontrolled watering of your eyes and a leaky nose and ah! that poor tongue of yours!!  

5. Bird's Eye Chilies



A typical Thai mouse. Notice the
stuff in the background? They are the
Bird's eye chilies!

100,000 Scoville Units

A small round red chilli grown in the former Spanish\ Portuguese colonies of East Asia, Bird's Eye Chili is so named because of its small, almost round shape and because of the fact that it is a personal favorite of birds to eat and disperse. We question why because this little piece of shit (we are not being offensive here...it is known as 'Mouse's Dropping' in Thailand; we wonder how the mice look over there!!) has quite a load of heat in itself. A typical Bird's Eye Chilli can make you sweaty even when the temperature around is close to 10 degrees!!

4. Madame Jeanettes

350,000 Scoville Units



We didn't know Madame Jeanette was
euphemism for 'wrinkled, old woman!'

These innocuously named chilies are so inviting; who would turn down a chili with a name like a hostess on a French prairie? Well you should!! unless you want your ass on fire. These bell pepper like chilies (Michael Jackson's nose-job anyone?) have a very high capsaicin content and once ingested they will make you a sorry piece of shit. Expect some condolences your way as you cry convulsively "Why God? Waaaayyyy have you made this %&@^@^&@$&$&@@$***#%?" And did we mention that you won't be able to taste a thing after the hell load of taste buds you have killed?

3. Red Savina Habanero

"Yeah! I eat it whenever I feel like
eating it. And thats about a 100 times
a day!!!"

1,060,000 Scoville Units

As if the world hadn't got its fair share of ass-scorchers yet, Robert Garcia (we believe he is of Mexican parentage) selectively bred Habanero chilies and produced a badass chili that held the world record for the hottest stuff on our planet (after Gisele Bundchen that is) from 1994 to 2006. Once eaten, it will start with a mild pine-applish taste and then build on from that...and by build we mean it culminates into making your intestinal track a FUCKING LOOP OF FIRE!! Well lets not talk about the mouth here...we bet you won't have one after eating this stuff.

2. Bhut Jolokia

1,100,000 Scoville Units

Just try and eat me you SOB bwahahaha!

This pepper's name literally translates to 'Ghost Chili' and this is not a manifestation of a typically superstitious Indian mind but rather this stuff is truly paranormal in terms of the sting it delivers. A typical bhut jholakia will turn you into a very sorry sight; you will sweat an Indus, you will cry an Atlantic and your innards will turn into the lava from Mount Pinatubo. And before moving on we would like to introduce you to some uses of this stuff...

• It is used for treating stomach ailments; yeah, when the stomach is gone, the defects follow.
• It is used as a 'remedy' for Indian summer heat; by scorching you to hell. Whoever came up with this presumed that the dead feel no heat, well do they?? GENIUS!!
• It is proposed to be used in grenades to 'flush out terrorists' by the Indian Defense Department; by flushing out terrorists they mean scraping out the charred remains of what used to be a terrorist, pretty effective. Pentagon you listen?

1. Trinidad Scorpion Butch T

1,463,700 Scoville Units

Now we know about Devil's
favorite fruit!!

We assume it was once named Trinidadian Scorpion Sting and Butcher of Testicles before it was toned down for the Guinness Book of World Record where it reigns the page for the hottest pepper. This badass chili is grown in Australia by the Chili Factory and the seeds for it are provided by the Hippy Seed Company with Butch Taylor being credited as its discoverer (enough bullshit for a day, by the way I guess the Chili Factory will look quite similar to the Chocolate factory of Willie Wonka's, just replace all those yummy chocolate rivers with molten lava and all the chocolates with this Butch T). 

Well no sane man would try to eat this shit and if one does then we must say he has elephantiasified balls because once the fire escapes the Butch T it will turn you into a blazing mass of protoplasm. And did we mention that you will cry like a bitch as you melt to cult status...and that your grave will be marked with a memorial having a Butch T over two massive concrete balls.

We found this chilli to be the most awesome of all...so it deserved another pic!!

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