A devastating incident took place on Wednesday in Nepal’s capital, Kathmandu, when a regional passenger aircraft owned by Saurya Airlines crashed during take-off, resulting in 18 fatalities. The accident took place during the plane’s journey to Pokhara airport for routine maintenance. This recently inaugurated airport which opened its gates in January, provides facilities for aircraft upkeep.
The fated aircraft strayed to the right shortly after departure and crashed east of the runway, as revealed by Nepal’s Civil Aviation Authority. The individuals onboard comprised 18 Nepali nationals and one Yemeni engineer. As confirmed by a representative from Tribhuvan International Airport, the captain was the sole survivor and is presently hospitalised.
Television coverage revealed thick black smoke billowing into the air as firefighters attempted to control the flames. Further footage showed pieces of the wrecked plane scattered across a field and emergency workers collecting corpses for transportation to hospitals.
As stated by Mukesh Khanal, marketing chief of Saurya Airlines, the aircraft was due for a month’s maintenance commencing Thursday, with no clear cause of the crash. The airline disclosed that their aircraft was a 50-seater CRJ-200 with the registration 9N-AME. Mere hours after the mishap the airport resumed operations.
The aircraft model, originally designed by Canadian firm Bombardier, came under the ownership of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries in 2020. Flightradar24 data confirms that Saurya operates two similar aircraft.
The incident puts Nepal’s already criticised air safety record under further scrutiny. The challenging terrains of the Himalayan nation’s small airports nestled in remote and often foggy hills have made smooth flying operations a task. Nepal is home to eight of the world’s highest mountains, further complicating aviation.
Kathmandu’s main airport, situated in the Kathmandu Valley, is surrounded by mountains, resulting in variable wind patterns and intensity, posing a challenge for departing and arriving flights.
Since the year 2000, almost 350 individuals perished in aeroplane or helicopter mishaps in Nepal. The most catastrophic event took place in 1992 where 167 lives were lost as a Pakistan International Airlines Airbus smashed into a hillside during its approach to Kathmandu. In the latest incident from January 2023, a Yeti airlines flight crashed, taking the lives of no less than 72 people. The cause of the crash was eventually traced back to the pilots erroneously turning off the power. This information was supplied by Reuters.