19 plane crashes in Nepal in 10 years
According to the Aviation Safety Network database, the Tara Air plane was at an altitude of 14,500 feet at the time of the accident on Sunday. This was the 19th plane crash in Nepal in the last 10 years. Whereas on the basis of death figures, it was the 10th biggest accident. Investigators still haven’t been able to find out what exactly happened. The black box of the plane was recovered on Tuesday, two days after the accident. Airport officials quoted experts as saying that unstable weather, low visibility and mountainous conditions make Nepal a notorious destination for planes to fly.
Bad weather is becoming the ‘period’ of flight of planes
Speaking to CNN, Nepal’s Home Ministry official BK Binod said that the biggest role in this accident was due to bad weather. According to Nepal’s Department of Hydrology and Meteorology, the weather forecast for Pokhara was also issued at that time. The area was expected to be generally cloudy at the time of the accident. The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal said that the Tara Air plane took off from Pokhara city in central Nepal on Sunday morning. It was supposed to head to the popular tourist destination Jomsom, but the plane lost contact with air traffic control after a 25-minute flight.
Learn about the last 10 plane crashes in Nepal
date of accident | aircraft type | registration | operator | death count | Location |
29 May 2022 | DHC-6 Twin Otter 300 | 9N-AET | Tara Air | 22 | mustang |
14 April 2019 | Lite L-410UVP-E20 | 9N-AMH | summit air | 3 | Lukla |
9 June 2018 | DHC-6 Twin Otter 300 | 9N-AEV | Tara Air | 0 | Jumla Airport |
16 May 2018 | Cessna 208B Grand Caravan | 9N-AJU | Makalu Air | 2 | Bahn Kharak |
12 March 2018 | DHC-8-402Q Dash 8 | S2-AGU | US Bangla Airlines | 51 | Kathmandu |
28 November 2017 | DHC-6 Twin Otter 300 | 9N-ABM | Tara Air | 0 | Simikot Airport |
30 May 2017 | PZL-Mielec M28 Skytruck | NA-048 | Nepal Army | 1 | Bajura Airport |
27 May 2017 | Lite L-410UVP-E20 | 9N-AKY | summit air | 2 | Lukla |
24 September 2016 | BAE 4101 Jetstream 41 | 9N-AIB | Yeti Airlines | 0 | Bhairwan Airport |
24 February 2016 | Viking Air DHC-6 Twin Otter 400 | 9N-AHH | Tara Air | 23 | Grain |
Bad weather also disturbed the search operation
As soon as the information about the disappearance of the plane was received, the Nepal Army started the search operation. However, due to bad weather, poor visibility and not enough daylight, the operation faced a lot of difficulties. Meanwhile, a helicopter spotted the wreckage of the plane on the bank of a river in a mountainous area. Despite this, the relief and rescue team faced a lot of difficulties in reaching the accident site. Despite bad weather on Tuesday, the rescue team announced that it had recovered all 22 bodies.
Why Nepal is dangerous for planes
Nepal’s natural texture makes it dangerous for planes to fly. Unstable weather isn’t just the problem for flying in Nepal. According to the 2019 Safety Report of the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal, the dangerous geographical location of the country also poses a major challenge to the pilots. About 30 million people live in Nepal. Eight of the 14 tallest mountains in the world are located here, including Mount Everest. For this reason, Nepal is no less than a paradise for trekkers and adventure enthusiasts. This is the reason that the contribution of tourism in Nepal’s earnings is very high.
Nepal’s weather changes in an instant, small planes also have a different problem
The mountainous topography and the ever-changing weather make it difficult for pilots to navigate the aircraft. That too when the weather suddenly changes and nothing is visible in front. Not only that, things are made worse by the need to use smaller planes to reach the more remote and mountainous parts of Nepal. The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal report said that aircraft with 19 seats or less are more prone to accidents due to these challenges. The capital, Kathmandu, is Nepal’s most important transit hub, from where many of these short flights head to their destinations.
World’s most dangerous airport in Nepal
The airport in Lukla city, located in the northeastern region of Nepal, is known as the most dangerous airport in the world. This airport is also called the gateway to Everest. The runway of the airport has been carved out of a rock between the mountains. There is a giant mountain at one end of the runway of Lukla airport and a moat at the other end. In such a situation, only Alta Trend pilots are allowed to land and take off at this airport. Even a small mistake can kill all the passengers on board.