Nepal’s long history of plane crashes: A timeline

Nepal has a long history of plane crashes. The rugged mountainous terrain, dearth of investment in new planes and infrastructure and poor regulation have contributed to these unfortunate incidents.

Locals watch the wreckage of a passenger plane in Pokhara, Nepal, Sunday, Jan.15, 2023. (AP/PTI)

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At least 68 people died after an ATR 72 aircraft belonging to Yeti Airlines carrying 72 people crashed in Nepal’s Pokhara at 11 am on Sunday. According to preliminary reports, the aircraft, with 68 passengers and four crew members onboard, crashed about 20 minutes after it took off from Kathmandu for Pokhara, a few kilometres away from the destination. Rescue operations are on as visuals on social media showed smoke billowing from the crash site.

Nepal has a long history of plane crashes. The rugged mountainous terrain, unpredictable weather, dearth of investment in new planes and infrastructure and poor regulation have contributed to these unfortunate incidents. According to the Aviation Safety database, there have been at least 27 fatal plane crashes in Nepal over the past 30 years.

Timeline of plane crashes in Nepal

May 2022: A Tara Airplane with 22 people on board, including four Indians from Thane, crashed in Nepal’s mountainous Mustang district on May 29, Sunday. Bodies of all the people on board were recovered three days later on Tuesday. The Nepal government‘s probe report concluded that the bad weather might have caused the incident.

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February 2019: An Air Dynasty helicopter crashed into a hill as it was attempting to find its way back into Kathmandu in cloudy weather. Nepal’s Tourism Minister Rabindra Adhikari was among the seven passengers who died in the incident. The preliminary report of the probe claimed that there had been violations of operating procedures, such as disbalance of weights due to the positioning of the fuel tank and the incorrect seating arrangements of passengers.

March 2018: 49 people were killed on 12 March 2018 when a US-Bangla airline carrying 67 passengers and four crew members crashed at Kathmandu’s Tribhuvan International airport. The flight returning from Dhaka, caught fire after it careened off the runway during landing and crashed onto a football ground near the airport and then exploded. A commission appointed to probe concluded that the probable cause of the accident might be the pilot’s disorientation.

February 2016: An Air Kashthamandap aircraft with 11 people on board crashed in Kalikot district of Nepal. Two crew members were killed and all nine passengers were injured in the incident.

May 2015: A US marine corps squadron crashed in the Charikot region of the nation killing all the 8 occupants on board. The UH-1Y Huey, with six US marines and two Nepali soldiers, went missing during a mission to deliver aid to victims of two earthquakes.

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May 2012: Thirteen Indian pilgrims were among 15 persons killed in May 2012 when a Dornier plane with 21 people on board crashed into a hilltop in northern Nepal while attempting to land at a high-altitude airport. The aircraft was flying from Pokhara Airport to Jomsom Airport.

September 2011: A Beechcraft 1900D operated by Buddha Air that was carrying tourists on a sightseeing trip around Mount Everest, collided with a hill. All 19 people on board died, including 10 Indians. Adverse weather conditions were the cause of the accident, as the Kathmandu airport and its surrounding area were encased in thick monsoon clouds during the crash.

September 2006: A Shree Air helicopter crashed on a chartered flight in Eastern Nepal killing all the 24 passengers on board including the crew members. The helicopter had an expedition of the World Wide Fund for Nature returning from a conservation event.

June 2006: A Yeti aircraft with six passengers including crew members crashed on the ground.

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November 2001: A chartered helicopter crashed on a flight in Western Nepal. Princess Prekshya Shah of Nepal was among the six occupants killed in the incident.

July 2000: A Twin Otter operated by Royal Nepal Airlines crashed on its way to the Dhanghadhi airport. As many as 22 passengers and three crew members died in the crash.

July 1993: A Dornier aircraft operated by EverestAir crashed near Chule Ghopte hill near Nepal. All three crew members and 16 passengers were killed.

September 1992: An Airbus A300 operated by Pakistan International Airlines crashed while landing in the Kathmandu airport and killed all 167 people on board. The flight was coming from the Jinnah International Airport in Karachi and struck the last mountain ridge that lay 11 km before Kathmandu airport.

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July 1992: An Airbus 310 operated by Thai Airways crashed on its approach in Kathmandu and killed all 99 passengers and 14 crew on board. The plane collided with a mountain 37 km north of Kathmandu, during heavy monsoon rain. According to the investigation, there was a minor failure in the plane’s flaps and the pilot was undergoing a great deal of stress due to miscommunication with the air traffic controller during poor climatic conditions.

July 1969: An aircraft run by Royal Nepal airlines crashed en route to Sinara airport killing 31 passengers and four crew members.

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