The recent plane crash in Nepal has been making headlines since it killed at least 68 passengers on Sunday. The Yeti Airlines ATR 72 was carrying 72 passengers when it crashed in the Pokhara area in Nepal at 11 am on Sunday, apparently 20 minutes after it took off from Kathmandu for Pokhara. As devastating and shocking as they are, plane crashes are more often than not associated with technical faults. But in Nepal’s case, that’s not the only reason.
In fact, Nepal has had a long sad history of plane crashes. The reason behind the crash, each time, has been different. The unforeseeable weather conditions and the rugged terrain of the mountains in Nepal have also led to many such incidents in the past. Let’s have a look at some of the major plane crashes that sent shockwaves through Nepal.
July, 1992
Thai Airways’ Airbus 310 crashed on its way to Kathmandu and killed all 99 persons and 14 crew aboard. The plane was making its way through heavy monsoon rain when it collided with a mountain. According to a report by The Indian Express, the collision caused a failure in the plane flaps and the pilot couldn’t communicate with the air traffic controller due to the poor climatic conditions.
September, 1992
The day, September 28, 1992, is witness to one of the worst-ever crashes in the history of Nepal. A Pakistan International Airlines plane, carrying 167 people on board, crashed when it approached Kathmandu’s Tribhuvan International Airport, killing everyone aboard. The flight hit the last mountain ridge which lay before the Kathmandu airport.
July, 1993
Not even a year later and Nepal saw another aircraft crash in July 1993. A Dornier aircraft operated by EverestAir crashed near Chule Ghopte hill near Nepal killing all three crew members and 16 passengers. It was shocking for the people of Nepal as it hadn’t even been 10 months since the last plane crash incident. Not to forget, the September plane crash in 1992 killed a lot of people, and was one of the biggest mishappenings of Nepal.
July, 2000
It was a Twin Otter plane by Royal Nepal Airlines which crashed on its way to Dhanghadhi airport, as per IE. According to reports, around 23 persons and three crew members were killed in the crash. An investigation was launched once the accident site was located. It was reportedly found that the aircraft had hit a few trees on the Jarayakhali Hill of the Sivalik Hills in Jogbuda, Dadeldhura District, where it caught fire.
June, September 2006
Two plane crash incidents took place in a span of two months in 2006. The one that occurred in June involved a Yeti aircraft carrying six passengers including crew members and crashed on the ground. The one that occurred in September killed all 24 passengers on board the Shree Air helicopter that crashed in Eastern Nepal. The passengers were a part of the expedition for the World Wide Fund for Nature and were returning from a conservation event in the Tapelgunj district in Nepal. According to multiple reports, the final report which was submitted by the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal claimed that cloudy weather was one of the reasons why the plane crashed.
September, 2011
A small plane that was carrying tourists for a sightseeing trip around the famous Mount Everest, crashed into a hill near Kathmandu and killed all 19 people on board. According to an IE report, out of these 19 passengers, 10 were Indians. The reason was again claimed to be adverse weather conditions.
May, 2012
A Dornier plane with 21 people on board collided with a hilltop in Nepal while attempting to land. The airplane was on its route to Jomsom Airport from Pokhara Airport. The accident killed at least 15 passengers.
May, 2015
This crash was different from all the past crashes as this one followed another big tragedy of an earthquake. A US Marine Corps squadron crashed in the Charikot region of Nepal while carrying out Operation Sahayogi Haat. This operation was part of the humanitarian relief effort following the earthquake that had struck the region earlier. According to IE, around six US mariners and two Nepali soldiers went missing while trying to deliver aid to victims of the earthquake.
February, 2016
An aircraft carrying 11 passengers crashed in Kalikot district of Nepal. The number of people who got killed included two crew members.
March, 2018
This was another big shocker as about 49 passengers were killed when a US-Bangla airline crashed at Kathmandu’s Tribhuvan International Airport. The plane was carrying 67 passengers and four crew members from Dhaka, IE reported. While landing, the aircraft caught fire and then exploded. The report had claimed pilot’s disorientation as the probable reason behind the crash.
February, 2019
Under a year, Nepal saw another crash that occurred when an Air Dynasty helicopter collided with a hill during cloudy weather. The crash made headlines, also because one of the persons who died was Nepal’s Tourism minister Rabindra Adhikari. The preliminary report, as per IE, claimed that the crash occurred because operating procedures were violated, like incorrect arrangement of seats for passengers.
May, 2022
Last year a Tata Airplane which had 22 passengers on board, including three crew members, crashed in Mustang district of Nepal. Nepal authorities’ report had claimed that the crash might have occurred due to bad weather conditions. All the passengers were killed and all bodies were recovered.
