2010 Okhaldhunga aircraft crash
Encyclopedia
On December 15, 2010, a Tara Air
de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter
crashed in Nepal
shortly after take-off on a domestic passenger flight between Lamidanda Airport
, Lamidanda
, and Tribhuvan International Airport
, Kathmandu. The wreckage of the aircraft, registration
9N-AFX, was found in Bilandu forest
near the village of Shreechaur
, Okhaldhunga District
, Nepal, the morning after the crash. All 19 passengers and three crew aboard were killed in the crash. There was initial speculation that bad weather or the overloading of the aircraft might have caused the crash. An investigation into the crash was launched by Nepalese authorities after the accident site was located.
, Lamidanda
, at 15:08 local time, the left wing of the aircraft impacted land and the DHC-6 crashed. The aircraft was reportedly scheduled to land in Kathmandu at around 15:35, 35 minutes after departing Lamidanda, but it did not. All 19 passengers and three crew members aboard were killed in the crash.
s searched for the wreckage of the aircraft on the day of the crash, but was called off during the night because of poor visibility, even though night vision
equipment was installed on the helicopters. The day after the crash, the Nepalese Army located the wreckage in Okhaldhunga
, Nepal, at an altitude of approximately 2700 metres (8,858.3 ft). All 22 bodies were recovered by rescuers. The wreckage of the aircraft reportedly covered 200 square metres (2,152.8 sq ft), and, according to a police spokesperson, had "broken up completely".
was recovered from the scene of the accident, and, as of December 24, 2010, was to be sent to India
or Europe
for analysis.
A separate investigation was also started into alleged irregularities, which, according to The Himalayan Times included "carrying passengers by issuing tickets in other’s name, not verifying identity while checking-in passengers and the process of immigration of the foreign nationals who lost their lives in the crash." Police arrested the general manager of a travel agent based in Kathmandu over suspicions of tax evasion
during the sale of tickets for the flight.
Tara Air
Tara Air Pvt.Ltd is an airline based in Nepal. It is a subsidiary of Yeti Airlines. Tara Air was formed in 2009 using aircraft from the Yeti Airlines fleet and is based at Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu, with secondary hubs at Surkhet and Nepalgunj airports. The airline operates...
de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter
De Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter
The DHC-6 Twin Otter is a Canadian 19-passenger STOL utility aircraft developed by de Havilland Canada and currently produced by Viking Air. The aircraft's fixed tricycle undercarriage, STOL abilities and high rate of climb have made it a successful cargo, regional passenger airliner and MEDEVAC...
crashed in Nepal
Nepal
Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...
shortly after take-off on a domestic passenger flight between Lamidanda Airport
Lamidanda Airport
Lamidanda Airport is an airport serving Lamidanda, a village in the Khotang district of the Sagarmatha zone in Nepal.-Facilities:The airport resides at an elevation of above mean sea level...
, Lamidanda
Lamidanda
Not to be confused with Lamidanda of Kavrepalanchok District, a stop on the Araniko Highway.Lamidanda is a village and Village Development Committee in Khotang District in the Sagarmatha Zone of eastern Nepal. At the time of the 1991 Nepal census it had a population of 2,728 persons living in 478...
, and Tribhuvan International Airport
Tribhuvan International Airport
Tribhuvan International Airport is an international airport situated in Kathmandu, Nepal.Tribhuvan is the sole international airport in Nepal. There are two terminals, one domestic and one international...
, Kathmandu. The wreckage of the aircraft, registration
Aircraft registration
An aircraft registration is a unique alphanumeric string that identifies a civil aircraft, in similar fashion to a licence plate on an automobile...
9N-AFX, was found in Bilandu forest
Bilandu
Bilandu is a village development committee in Okhaldhunga District in the Sagarmatha Zone of mid-eastern Nepal. At the time of the 1991 Nepal census it had a population of 2279 living in 431 individual households.On December 15, 2010 a plane crashed in the forest of Bilandu, near the village of...
near the village of Shreechaur
Shreechaur
Shreechaur is a village development committee in Okhaldhunga District in the Sagarmatha Zone of mid-eastern Nepal. At the time of the 1991 Nepal census it had a population of 2388 living in 437 individual households.On December 15, 2010 a plane crashed in the forest of Bilandu, in the southwestern...
, Okhaldhunga District
Okhaldhunga District
Okhaldhunga District of 156,702.Okhaldhunga is part of area traditionally called Wallo Kirat,home to indigenous ethnic groups Rai and Sunuwar...
, Nepal, the morning after the crash. All 19 passengers and three crew aboard were killed in the crash. There was initial speculation that bad weather or the overloading of the aircraft might have caused the crash. An investigation into the crash was launched by Nepalese authorities after the accident site was located.
Flight
Five minutes after taking off from Lamidanda AirportLamidanda Airport
Lamidanda Airport is an airport serving Lamidanda, a village in the Khotang district of the Sagarmatha zone in Nepal.-Facilities:The airport resides at an elevation of above mean sea level...
, Lamidanda
Lamidanda
Not to be confused with Lamidanda of Kavrepalanchok District, a stop on the Araniko Highway.Lamidanda is a village and Village Development Committee in Khotang District in the Sagarmatha Zone of eastern Nepal. At the time of the 1991 Nepal census it had a population of 2,728 persons living in 478...
, at 15:08 local time, the left wing of the aircraft impacted land and the DHC-6 crashed. The aircraft was reportedly scheduled to land in Kathmandu at around 15:35, 35 minutes after departing Lamidanda, but it did not. All 19 passengers and three crew members aboard were killed in the crash.
Search operation
HelicopterHelicopter
A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by one or more engine-driven rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forwards, backwards, and laterally...
s searched for the wreckage of the aircraft on the day of the crash, but was called off during the night because of poor visibility, even though night vision
Night vision
Night vision is the ability to see in low light conditions. Whether by biological or technological means, night vision is made possible by a combination of two approaches: sufficient spectral range, and sufficient intensity range...
equipment was installed on the helicopters. The day after the crash, the Nepalese Army located the wreckage in Okhaldhunga
Okhaldhunga District
Okhaldhunga District of 156,702.Okhaldhunga is part of area traditionally called Wallo Kirat,home to indigenous ethnic groups Rai and Sunuwar...
, Nepal, at an altitude of approximately 2700 metres (8,858.3 ft). All 22 bodies were recovered by rescuers. The wreckage of the aircraft reportedly covered 200 square metres (2,152.8 sq ft), and, according to a police spokesperson, had "broken up completely".
Initial speculation
There was initial speculation that bad weather caused the crash. The chief executive of Tara Air, Vijay Shrestha, said: “It showed poor visibility at different levels of the atmosphere. Thick haze at lower levels and as thick a cloud higher up could have caused poor visibility." There was also speculation that the aircraft could have been overloaded, but Shrestha refuted these allegations. “The aircraft’s maximum take-off weight is 12,500 pounds, while the Twin Otter’s take-off weight that crashed killing all 22 on board was 12,280 pounds,” he said. “So it was underweight by 220 pounds, the allegation is wrong.”Investigation
An investigation into the crash was launched after the accident site was located. Nepal's Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation formed a group of five investigators to find the cause of the crash. The five were ordered to present a report on the accident by 90 days after the crash occurred. The cockpit voice recorderCockpit voice recorder
A cockpit voice recorder , often referred to as a "black box", is a flight recorder used to record the audio environment in the flight deck of an aircraft for the purpose of investigation of accidents and incidents...
was recovered from the scene of the accident, and, as of December 24, 2010, was to be sent to India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
or Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
for analysis.
A separate investigation was also started into alleged irregularities, which, according to The Himalayan Times included "carrying passengers by issuing tickets in other’s name, not verifying identity while checking-in passengers and the process of immigration of the foreign nationals who lost their lives in the crash." Police arrested the general manager of a travel agent based in Kathmandu over suspicions of tax evasion
Tax evasion
Tax evasion is the general term for efforts by individuals, corporations, trusts and other entities to evade taxes by illegal means. Tax evasion usually entails taxpayers deliberately misrepresenting or concealing the true state of their affairs to the tax authorities to reduce their tax liability,...
during the sale of tickets for the flight.
See also
- Air safetyAir safetyAir safety is a term encompassing the theory, investigation and categorization of flight failures, and the prevention of such failures through regulation, education and training. It can also be applied in the context of campaigns that inform the public as to the safety of air travel.-United...
- List of accidents and incidents involving commercial aircraft
- 2010 in aviation2010 in aviationThis is a list of aviation-related events from 2010:-January:1 JanuaryAmerican airline Northwest Airlines is merged into Delta Air Lines.2 January...