Two pilots were killed when a small passenger plane belonging to Air Kasthmandap crash landed in Chilkhaya in Kalikot district on Friday afternoon. All nine passengers survived. They have sustained minor injuries. The plane was en route from Nepalgunj to Jumla.This is the second air accident in three days. On Wednesday, a Jomsom-bound Tara Air Twin Otter turboprop plane crashed into a mountainside in Solighopte of Dana VDC in Myagdi district, killing all 23 on board. The 9N-AJB Air Kasthmandap’s chartered flight had taken off from Nepalgunj at 12:16pm. The deceased crew were identified as Captain Dinesh Neupane, who died on the spot, and Co-pilot Santosh Rana, who died an hour later. Initial findings show that the 10-seater single-engine aircraft had developed some technical problem and the pilots had tried to land the plane on a field. “It crashed during an emergency landing,” said Sanjiv Gautam, director general of the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal. “The technical glitches are yet to be ascertained.” The right wheel of the aircraft had hit a hard object (wood logs) on the ground when it landed at a high speed, Gautam said based on reports from the field. “Due to the powerful impact, the aircraft ricocheted, its nose ploughed into the field and the cockpit blew up,” he added. “Otherwise, it would have been a successful emergency landing.” According to Gautam, all single-engine aircraft have been grounded for detailed inspection to prevent further accident. The authorities concerned were informed about the crash at 1:30pm, nearly an hour after the aircraft lost its contact with air traffic controller in Nepalgunj. “Had the rescue operation been swift, Co-pilot Rana could have been saved,” said Chandra BK, a local at the crash site. “Rana who had lost consciousness due to the impact died after an hour. He repeatedly called for saving his life.” Frantic passengers and locals, with no proper equipment to cut the straps, were left with no option than to leave Neupane in the cockpit. A police squad led by ASI Dan Bahadur Bom had reached the area after an hour and a Shree Airlines helicopter reached after two hours, said DSP Kisan Singh Budal. The bodies of crew and injured passengers were airlifted to Nepalgunj Medical College. It was the third flight of the crew after flying to Simikot twice in the morning.
This is a short description in the author block about the author. You edit it by entering text in the "Biographical Info" field in the user admin panel.
0 comments :
Post a Comment