Accident | |
---|---|
Date | 15 January 2023 |
Summary | Stall on landing, under investigation |
Site | near Pokhara International Airport, Pokhara, Nepal 28°11′52″N 83°59′06″E / 28.19778°N 83.98500°ECoordinates: 28°11′52″N 83°59′06″E / 28.19778°N 83.98500°E |
Aircraft | |
Aircraft type | ATR 72-500 |
Operator | Yeti Airlines |
IATA flight No. | YT691 |
ICAO flight No. | NYT691 |
Call sign | YETI AIRLINES 691 |
Registration | 9N-ANC |
Flight origin | Tribhuvan International Airport, Kathmandu, Nepal |
Destination | Pokhara International Airport, Pokhara, Nepal |
Occupants | 72 |
Passengers | 68 |
Crew | 4 |
Fatalities | 72 |
Survivors | 0 |
Yeti Airlines Flight 691 was a scheduled domestic passenger flight from Tribhuvan International Airport, Kathmandu to Pokhara International Airport in Nepal. On 15 January 2023, the aircraft operating the route, an ATR 72 flown by Yeti Airlines, crashed into the bank of the Seti Gandaki River while landing at Pokhara.
It was carrying 72 people, with 68 passengers including 15 foreign nationals, and four crew. The accident resulted in the deaths of all 72 people on board.[1] It is Nepal's deadliest air crash since 1992 and the deadliest involving the ATR 72.[2]
Accident
External video | |
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Horrifying last moments of an ATR plane crash from Nepal in Pokhara that was bound for Kathmandu from Wajahat Kazmi |
Pokhara is a major tourist destination and the second-largest city in Nepal. Pokhara International Airport officially opened on 1 January 2023, gradually taking over operations from the city's older airport.[3][4]
The flight took off from Kathmandu at 10:33 am local time.[5] It crashed on the bank of the Seti Gandaki River, between the old airport and the new airport, while landing.[6] A video taken shortly before the crash showed the aircraft banking steeply to the left before crashing.[7]
The accident resulted in the deaths of all 72 people on board and was Nepal's worst air crash since the crash of Pakistan International Airlines Flight 268 in 1992.[1][8] It was the third-deadliest air crash in the nation's history.[9]
According to an official at the Pokhara International Airport, Air Traffic Control cleared the flight to land on runway 30, but the captain requested for runway 12. A Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal spokesperson, Gyanendra Bhul, also said: "The weather was clear, according to preliminary information the cause of the crash is the technical issue of the plane."[10]
Aircraft
The aircraft involved in the crash was a 15-year-old twin-engine turboprop ATR 72-500, with serial number 754 and registration 9N-ANC.[11] It was first delivered to Kingfisher Airlines as VT-KAJ in 2007. In 2013, it was transferred to Nok Air as HS-DRD before being delivered to Yeti Airlines in 2019.[12][13]
Passengers and crew
There were sixty-eight passengers and four Nepali crew members on board. The passengers comprised fifty-three Nepalis, five Indians, four Russians, two South Koreans, one Argentinian, one Australian, one French, and one Irish.[14][15] Among the passengers were two infants.[14]
The plane was under the command of senior captain Kamal KC with Anju Khatiwada as copilot. Khatiwada was set to qualify as a captain upon the successful completion of the flight.[16]
Nationality | Passengers | Crew | Total |
---|---|---|---|
Nepal | 53 | 4 | 57 |
India | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Russia | 4 | 0 | 4 |
South Korea | 2 | 0 | 2 |
Argentina | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Australia | 1 | 0 | 1 |
France | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Ireland | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Total | 68 | 4 | 72 |
Aftermath
The airport was closed as authorities launched a rescue operation.[17] The Government of Nepal summoned an emergency meeting of the Third Dahal cabinet following the crash. The Prime Minister of Nepal, Pushpa Kamal Dahal, stated that he was "deeply saddened by the sad and tragic accident".[9] The Government of Nepal has commissioned a five-member team to investigate.[18] Indian aviation minister Jyotiraditya Scindia offered condolences.[19]
Yeti Airlines cancelled all regular flights scheduled for 16 January, in mourning for the victims of the crash.[20]
See also
- List of accidents and incidents involving airliners by airline (P–Z)
- List of accidents and incidents involving commercial aircraft
References
- ^ a b "All 72 aboard Yeti Airlines flight in Nepal killed in crash". United News of India. 15 January 2023. Retrieved 15 January 2023.
All 72 people on board the Yeti Airlines flight, which crashed in Nepal on Sunday have died, airline spokesperson Pemba Sherpa confirmed.
- ^ Ranter, Harro. "ASN accident description". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 15 January 2023.
- ^ "Pokhara takes off". Nepali Times. 6 January 2023. Retrieved 6 January 2023.
- ^ Pokharel, Santosh (22 December 2022). "Pokhara's Old Airport to Remain Functional as CAAN Prepares to Launch Int'l Airport". República. Retrieved 1 January 2023.
- ^ "Plane with 72 people onboard crashes near Nepal's Pokhara airport, 36 bodies recovered so far". India Today. Archived from the original on 15 January 2023. Retrieved 15 January 2023.
- ^ "Nepal Plane Crash Updates: At least 40 bodies recovered from Nepal crash". Hindustan Times. 15 January 2023. Archived from the original on 15 January 2023. Retrieved 15 January 2023.
- ^ Bhandari, Shashwat (15 January 2023). "Nepal: Moment when Yeti Airlines plane tilted mid-air before it crashed near Pokhara Airport". indiatvnews.com. Archived from the original on 15 January 2023. Retrieved 15 January 2023.
- ^ Sharma, Gopal (15 January 2023). "At least 68 killed in Nepal's worst air crash in three decades". Reuters. Retrieved 15 January 2023.
- ^ a b Thapa, Asha; Magramo, Kathleen; Pokharel, Sugam (15 January 2023). "At least 68 killed in Nepal's worst airplane crash in 30 years". CNN. Archived from the original on 15 January 2023. Retrieved 15 January 2023.
- ^ "'Pokhara ATC cleared runway 30 for landing, but Yeti flight crew asked for runway 12'". nepalminute.com. 15 January 2023. Retrieved 15 January 2023.
- ^ Livemint (15 January 2023). "Nepal: Passenger plane crashes on runway of Pokhara Airport, five Indians onboard". mint. Archived from the original on 15 January 2023. Retrieved 15 January 2023.
- ^ "9N-ANC Yeti Airlines ATR 72". planespotters.net. Archived from the original on 15 January 2023. Retrieved 15 January 2023.
- ^ "Officials: At least 40 people killed in Nepal plane crash". EMEA Tribune. Associated Press. 15 January 2023. Archived from the original on 15 January 2023. Retrieved 15 January 2023.
- ^ a b Sarkar, Alisha Rahaman (15 January 2023). "40 bodies recovered as plane with 72 people on board crashes in Nepal". The Independent. Archived from the original on 15 January 2023. Retrieved 15 January 2023.
- ^ Hradecky, Simon (15 January 2023). "Crash: Yeti AT72 at Pokhara on Jan 15th 2023, lost height on final approach". avherald.com. Archived from the original on 15 January 2023. Retrieved 15 January 2023.
- ^ Singh, Mrityunjay (15 January 2023). "Nepal Plane Crash: Co-Pilot Of Ill-Fated Flight Anju Khatiwada Was To Get Pilot Licence After Landing". ABP News. Retrieved 15 January 2023.
- ^ Bureau, ABP News (15 January 2023). "At Least '16 Dead' In Nepal As Passenger Plane With 72 Persons Onboard Crashes At Pokhara Airpo". news.abplive.com. Archived from the original on 15 January 2023. Retrieved 15 January 2023.
- ^ "Yeti aircraft crash update". mteveresttoday.com. 15 January 2023. Retrieved 15 January 2023.
- ^ "Nepal tragedy: Embassy tweets about Indians aboard plane, helpline". Hindustan Times. 15 January 2023. Archived from the original on 15 January 2023. Retrieved 15 January 2023.
- ^ Pokharel, Asha Thapa,Kathleen Magramo,Sugam (15 January 2023). "At least 68 killed in Nepal's worst airplane crash in 30 years". CNN. Retrieved 15 January 2023.