Agni Air Flight 101
Encyclopedia
Agni Air Flight 101 was a regional flight operated by Agni Air
between Kathmandu, Nepal and Lukla, Nepal that crashed on 24 August 2010, killing all 14 people on board. 20 minutes after take-off from Kathmandu, the flight crew had reported technical issues with the aircraft, and requested a return to the airport; they were, however, diverted to a different airport. Five minutes after this transmission contact with the aircraft was lost; the aircraft was found crashed 50 miles south of Kathmandu.
Initial reports suggested the crash had been caused by a combination of severe weather and mechanical problems with the aircraft. The investigation into the accident, however, found the cause was spatial disorientation
following the loss of a flight instrument after both generators failed after the exhaustion of power from the battery, due to the crew using an outdated checklist and not adhering to a checklist.
plane, registered
as 9N-AHE, was traveling on a flight between Tribhuvan International Airport
in Kathmandu, Nepal, and Tenzing-Hillary Airport in Lukla, Nepal. 20 minutes after take-off, the crew of the aircraft contacted air traffic control
reporting technical problems and requesting a return to Kathmandu.
Controllers then diverted the aircraft to Simara Airport
in Pipara Simara
, Nepal, due to poor weather conditions at Kathmandu. Aviation officials said although the flight crew reported technical problems, they did not declare an emergency
or request priority clearance to land. It was not clear what technical problems the crew had reported were; some reports suggested an engine failure had occurred, other reports indicated a generator failure had occurred aboard the aircraft.
Five minutes after reporting issues with the aircraft, radar
and radio
contact with the aircraft was lost. The aircraft crashed in the town of Shikharpur
, Narayani
, around 50 miles (80.5 km) south of Kathmandu. Witnesses reported there was no noise from the engines prior to the crash. The force of the crash spread wreckage in an area with a diameter of around 330 feet (100.6 m); and the aircraft created a crater 3 metres (9.8 ft) deep upon crashing.
reached the site of the crash on foot, and were responsible for gathering bodies, but due to weather conditions, helicopters were forced to land more than a mile away. Authorities announced a reward of Rs.
50,000 for anyone who would find equipment that would help authorities discover the cause of the crash. By 2 September, both the cockpit voice recorder
and the flight data recorder
of the crashed aircraft had been located; both were undamaged and were analysed by investigators in India
. The government of Nepal formed a five member panel to help determine the cause of the crash; the committee was instructed to submit a report on the crash within 65 days.
Despite initial reports that technical issues had resulted in the accident, the cause was found to be spatial disorientation
of the pilot following the loss of the attitude indicator
. Flying in poor weather conditions, the flight crew would have had to rely only on their instruments; such a situation is known as instrument meteorological conditions
(IMC). The failure of the attitude indicator was caused by the failure of both generators and the crew using an outdated checklist and not adhering to a checklist; the battery was therefore drained of power in less than half the time that it should have been able to supply power for.
Agni Air
Agni Air Pvt. Ltd. is an airline based in Nepal which started operations in March 2006. It has its headquarters in Kathmandu.-History:Agni Air started operations on 16 March 2006 on the Lukla and Tumlingtar sectors with a Dornier 228 and started flying to Biratnagar the next day.-Destinations:The...
between Kathmandu, Nepal and Lukla, Nepal that crashed on 24 August 2010, killing all 14 people on board. 20 minutes after take-off from Kathmandu, the flight crew had reported technical issues with the aircraft, and requested a return to the airport; they were, however, diverted to a different airport. Five minutes after this transmission contact with the aircraft was lost; the aircraft was found crashed 50 miles south of Kathmandu.
Initial reports suggested the crash had been caused by a combination of severe weather and mechanical problems with the aircraft. The investigation into the accident, however, found the cause was spatial disorientation
Spatial disorientation
Spatial disorientation is the inability to correctly interpret aircraft attitude, altitude or airspeed, in relation to the Earth or point of reference. Spatial disorientation is a condition in which an aircraft pilot's perception of direction does not agree with reality...
following the loss of a flight instrument after both generators failed after the exhaustion of power from the battery, due to the crew using an outdated checklist and not adhering to a checklist.
Background
The plane involved, a Dornier 228 turbopropTurboprop
A turboprop engine is a type of turbine engine which drives an aircraft propeller using a reduction gear.The gas turbine is designed specifically for this application, with almost all of its output being used to drive the propeller...
plane, registered
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...
as 9N-AHE, was traveling on a flight between 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...
in Kathmandu, Nepal, and Tenzing-Hillary Airport in Lukla, Nepal. 20 minutes after take-off, the crew of the aircraft contacted air traffic control
Air traffic control
Air traffic control is a service provided by ground-based controllers who direct aircraft on the ground and in the air. The primary purpose of ATC systems worldwide is to separate aircraft to prevent collisions, to organize and expedite the flow of traffic, and to provide information and other...
reporting technical problems and requesting a return to Kathmandu.
Controllers then diverted the aircraft to Simara Airport
Simara Airport
Simara Airport is an airport serving Pipara Simara in Nepal. The airport was established July 4, 1958 and is operated by the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal.-Airlines and destinations:...
in Pipara Simara
Pipara Simara
Pipara Simara is a town and Village Development Committee in Bara District in the Narayani Zone of south-eastern Nepal. At the time of the 1991 Nepal census it had a population of 17,122.-External links:*...
, Nepal, due to poor weather conditions at Kathmandu. Aviation officials said although the flight crew reported technical problems, they did not declare an emergency
Mayday (distress signal)
Mayday is an emergency procedure word used internationally as a distress signal in voice procedure radio communications. It derives from the French venez m'aider, meaning "come help me"....
or request priority clearance to land. It was not clear what technical problems the crew had reported were; some reports suggested an engine failure had occurred, other reports indicated a generator failure had occurred aboard the aircraft.
Five minutes after reporting issues with the aircraft, radar
Radar
Radar is an object-detection system which uses radio waves to determine the range, altitude, direction, or speed of objects. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, weather formations, and terrain. The radar dish or antenna transmits pulses of radio...
and radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
contact with the aircraft was lost. The aircraft crashed in the town of Shikharpur
Shikharpur, Narayani
Shikharpur is a village development committee in Makwanpur District in the Narayani Zone of southern Nepal. At the time of the 1991 Nepal census it had a population of 3884 people living in 667 individual households....
, Narayani
Narayani
Narayani may refer to:* Narayani River, Nepalese name for the Gandaki River* Narayani Zone, one of fourteen administrative zones in Nepal* Narayani , Hindu Goddess...
, around 50 miles (80.5 km) south of Kathmandu. Witnesses reported there was no noise from the engines prior to the crash. The force of the crash spread wreckage in an area with a diameter of around 330 feet (100.6 m); and the aircraft created a crater 3 metres (9.8 ft) deep upon crashing.
Casualties
All on board died in the crash; they included eight Nepalese citizens, as well as six foreigners. Of the foreigners, four were American women, one was a Briton, and one was Japanese.| Nationality | Fatalities | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Passengers | Crew | ||
 Nepal NepalNepal 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... |
5 | 3 | 8 |
 United States United StatesUnited States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... |
4 | 0 | 4 |
 Japan JapanJapan Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south... |
1 | 0 | 1 |
 United Kingdom United KingdomUnited Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages... |
1 | 0 | 1 |
| Total | 11 | 3 | 14 |
Investigation
Rescue operations were immediately undertaken after it became clear that the plane had crashed, although efforts were hampered by the fact that the crash site was around two hours away from the closest location of police forces. Heavy rains in the area also led to the risk of flooding and landslides in the area. Personnel from the Nepal ArmyNepal Army
The Nepalese Army is the army of Nepal and a major component of the Military of Nepal. The NA includes the Nepalese Army Air Service and is considered to be superior to Nepalese Police Force. Service is voluntary and the minimum age for enrollment is 18 years...
reached the site of the crash on foot, and were responsible for gathering bodies, but due to weather conditions, helicopters were forced to land more than a mile away. Authorities announced a reward of Rs.
Rupee
The rupee is the common name for the monetary unit of account in India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Pakistan, Mauritius, Seychelles, Maldives, and formerly in Burma, and Afghanistan. Historically, the first currency called "rupee" was introduced in the 16th century...
50,000 for anyone who would find equipment that would help authorities discover the cause of the crash. By 2 September, both the cockpit voice recorder
Cockpit 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...
and the flight data recorder
Flight data recorder
A flight data recorder is an electronic device employed to record any instructions sent to any electronic systems on an aircraft. It is a device used to record specific aircraft performance parameters...
of the crashed aircraft had been located; both were undamaged and were analysed by investigators in 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...
. The government of Nepal formed a five member panel to help determine the cause of the crash; the committee was instructed to submit a report on the crash within 65 days.
Despite initial reports that technical issues had resulted in the accident, the cause was found to be spatial disorientation
Spatial disorientation
Spatial disorientation is the inability to correctly interpret aircraft attitude, altitude or airspeed, in relation to the Earth or point of reference. Spatial disorientation is a condition in which an aircraft pilot's perception of direction does not agree with reality...
of the pilot following the loss of the attitude indicator
Attitude indicator
An attitude indicator , also known as gyro horizon or artificial horizon, is an instrument used in an aircraft to inform the pilot of the orientation of the aircraft relative to earth. It indicates pitch and bank or roll and is a primary instrument for flight in instrument meteorological conditions...
. Flying in poor weather conditions, the flight crew would have had to rely only on their instruments; such a situation is known as instrument meteorological conditions
Instrument meteorological conditions
Instrument meteorological conditions is an aviation flight category that describes weather conditions that require pilots to fly primarily by reference to instruments, and therefore under Instrument Flight Rules , rather than by outside visual references under Visual Flight Rules . Typically, this...
(IMC). The failure of the attitude indicator was caused by the failure of both generators and the crew using an outdated checklist and not adhering to a checklist; the battery was therefore drained of power in less than half the time that it should have been able to supply power for.