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Yeti Airlines Flight 691

Yeti Airlines Flight 691
Yetti Air plane crash in Pokhara1 2023.jpg
Service personnel among the wreckage of Flight 691
Accident
Date15 January 2023; 20 days ago (2023-01-15)
SummaryCrashed on approach, under investigation
SiteNear Pokhara International Airport, Pokhara, Nepal
28°11′51″N 83°59′06″E / 28.19750°N 83.98500°E / 28.19750; 83.98500Coordinates: 28°11′51″N 83°59′06″E / 28.19750°N 83.98500°E / 28.19750; 83.98500[1]
Aircraft
Aircraft typeATR 72-500
OperatorYeti Airlines
IATA flight No.YT691
ICAO flight No.NYT691
Call signYETI AIRLINES 691
Registration9N-ANC
Flight originTribhuvan International Airport, Kathmandu, Nepal
DestinationPokhara International Airport, Pokhara, Nepal
Occupants72
Passengers68
Crew4
Fatalities72
Survivors0

Yeti Airlines Flight 691 was a scheduled domestic passenger flight from Kathmandu to Pokhara in Nepal. On 15 January 2023, the aircraft being operated on the route, an ATR 72 flown by Yeti Airlines, crashed while landing at Pokhara, killing all 72 occupants on board. It is the deadliest accident involving an ATR 72.

Accident[]

External video
video icon Last moments of Flight 691, filmed from the ground.[2]
video icon Video of livestream of the crash from inside the aircraft by Sonu Jaiswal[3]

The flight took off from Kathmandu's Tribhuvan International Airport at 10:33 am NST.[4] It crashed on the bank of the Seti Gandaki River while on final approach to landing at Pokhara International Airport.[5] A video taken from the ground showed the aircraft banking steeply to the left before crashing.[2][6] Another video was streamed live on Facebook by Sonu Jaiswal, a passenger on the plane, before and during the crash. The video shows passengers unaware of the situation until seconds before impact.[7]

The crash occurred in Gandaki Province between the old Pokhara Airport and the new Pokhara International Airport, which was opened two weeks earlier and also where the aircraft was intending to land.[8][9] The accident resulted in the deaths of all 72 people on board,[10] and was Nepal's worst aviation accident since the crash of Pakistan International Airlines Flight 268 in 1992,[11] the deadliest aviation accident in Nepalese domestic aviation,[12] and the deadliest accident involving an ATR 72.[13]

According to an official at the Pokhara International Airport, air traffic control cleared the flight to land on runway 30 heading from east to west, but the captain requested the opposing runway 12 heading from west to east, minutes before the crash. A Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal spokesperson said: "The weather was clear; according to preliminary information the cause of the crash is the technical issue of the plane."[14]

Flight-tracking organisation Flightradar24 noted that during the flight the aircraft had been transmitting inaccurate speed and altitude data.[15]

Aircraft[]

9N-ANC, the aircraft involved in the accident, eight months before the crash

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.[16] 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.[17][18]

Passengers and crew[]

There were 72 people on board, of which 68 were passengers and four were crew members.[19][20] Among the passengers were 37 men, 25 women, and six children, three of whom were infants.[21]

The plane was under the command of senior captain Kamal KC with Anju Khatiwada, 44, as copilot. Khatiwada's husband, Dipak Pokhrel, who also worked for Yeti Airlines, died in the 2006 Yeti Airlines Twin Otter crash. Khatiwada was set to qualify as a captain upon the successful completion of the flight.[22]

Passengers and crew by nationality
Nationality Passengers Crew Total
Nepal 53[23] 4 57
India 5[23][24] 0 5
Russia 4[23][25] 0 4
South Korea 2[23][26] 0 2
Argentina 1[23][27] 0 1
Australia 1[23][28] 0 1
France 1[23][29] 0 1
United Kingdom 1[23][30] 0 1
Total 68 4 72

The United States Department of State announced that two U.S. citizens died in the crash,[31] although Nepalese authorities did not report any American deaths.[32]

Aftermath[]

The airport was closed as authorities launched a rescue operation.[33] The Government of Nepal summoned an emergency cabinet meeting following the crash. Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal said he was deeply saddened by the tragic accident.[21]

The Office of the Prime Minister declared 16 January to be a national day of mourning to pay respect to those who died in the crash. The flag of Nepal was flown at half-staff.[34] Yeti Airlines cancelled all regular flights scheduled for 16 January.[21]

Investigation[]

A five-member committee headed by Nagendra Ghimire is investigating the crash for the government of Nepal with the participation of the French Bureau of Enquiry and Analysis for Civil Aviation Safety.[35]

Amit Singh, an experienced pilot and founder of India's Safety Matters Foundation, speculated that the smartphone livestream, taken moments before and during the crash, showed the aircraft's nose noticeably high before the left wing suddenly dropped and the plane fell out of sight, probably indicating a stall.[36] A spokesman said that the pilot had not reported "anything untoward" as the plane approached the airport.[23]

On 16 January, the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder were located and in good condition.[37] The accident's investigation authority in Nepal requested on January 26 that both recorders were to be examined in Singapore.[38][39]

On 17 January, authorities began returning the victims' bodies to their families.[40]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ "Nepal crash: Dozens killed as plane crashes near Pokhara airport". BBC News. 15 January 2023. Archived from the original on 20 January 2023. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
  2. ^ a b Bhandari, Shashwat (15 January 2023). "Nepal: Moment when Yeti Airlines plane tilted mid-air before it crashed near Pokhara Airport". India TV. Archived from the original on 15 January 2023. Retrieved 15 January 2023.
  3. ^ Mateen, Zoya. "Nepal air crash: Indian passenger's video caught plane's last moments". BBC News. Archived from the original on 16 January 2023. Retrieved 16 January 2023.
  4. ^ Saha, Poulomi; Jha, Sujeet (15 January 2023). "Nepal plane with 72 onboard crashed seconds before landing at Pokhara airport, all dead". India Today. New Delhi. ISSN 0254-8399. Archived from the original on 22 January 2023. Retrieved 24 January 2023. A passenger plane carrying about 72 people from Nepal's capital Kathmandu crashed in Pokhara today.
  5. ^ "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.
  6. ^ Sud, Vedika (15 January 2023). "Video appears to show plane rolling on its side before crash in Nepal" (video). CNN. Archived from the original on 18 January 2023. Retrieved 24 January 2023. A video clip on social media appears to show the moments before an aircraft operated by Nepal's Yeti Airlines crashed in the Nepali city of Pokhara leaving dozens dead.
  7. ^ Ellis-Petersen, Hannah; Hassan, Aakash (16 January 2023). "Nepal plane crash: last moments inside cabin caught on passenger's Facebook live video". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 16 January 2023. Retrieved 16 January 2023.
  8. ^ "Pokhara takes off". Nepali Times. 6 January 2023. Archived from the original on 11 January 2023. Retrieved 6 January 2023.
  9. ^ Pokharel, Santosh (22 December 2022). "Pokhara's Old Airport to Remain Functional as CAAN Prepares to Launch Int'l Airport". República. Archived from the original on 4 January 2023. Retrieved 1 January 2023.
  10. ^ Prasai, Sangam; Pietsch, Bryan; Kasulis Cho, Kelly (16 January 2023). "'No survivors' in Nepal plane crash, official says". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 16 January 2023. Retrieved 16 January 2023.
  11. ^ "What you need to know about Nepal's plane crash". Al Jazeera. Archived from the original on 16 January 2023. Retrieved 16 January 2023.
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  13. ^ "Aviation Safety Network > ASN Aviation Safety Database > ASN Aviation Safety Database results". aviation-safety.net. Retrieved 25 January 2023.
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  15. ^ Petchenik, Ian (15 January 2023). "Yeti Airlines flight 691 crashes near Pokhara". Flightradar24 Blog. Archived from the original on 17 January 2023. Retrieved 19 January 2023.
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  20. ^ 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.
  21. ^ a b c Thapa, Asha; Magramo, Kathleen; Pokharel, Sugam (17 January 2023). "At least 68 killed in Nepal's worst airplane crash in 30 years". CNN. Archived from the original on 17 January 2023. Retrieved 18 January 2023.
  22. ^ "Nepal Plane Crash: Co-Pilot Of Ill-Fated Flight Anju Khatiwada Was To Get Pilot Licence After Landing". ABP Live. 15 January 2023. Archived from the original on 16 January 2023. Retrieved 18 January 2023.
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  25. ^ "Обнародованы имена погибших в Непале россиян" [Names of Russians killed in Nepal revealed]. Vesti.ru (in Russian). 16 January 2023. Archived from the original on 16 January 2023. Retrieved 16 January 2023.
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  28. ^ Meacham, Savannah (16 January 2023). "Sydney teacher believed to be victim in horror Nepal plane crash". 9NEWS. Archived from the original on 16 January 2023. Retrieved 16 January 2023.
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  30. ^ "Nepal plane crash: Briton among dozens who died". BBC News. 16 January 2023. Archived from the original on 16 January 2023. Retrieved 16 January 2023. A British man is among the passengers who died in a plane crash in Nepal on Sunday. The person was previously described as Irish by Nepal authorities, but was understood to be traveling on a UK passport. He has not yet been formally named by authorities.
  31. ^ Seyler, Matt. "2 American citizens killed in Nepal plane crash". ABC News. Archived from the original on 20 January 2023. Retrieved 21 January 2023.
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  35. ^ "French expert team begins probe into Yeti Airlines plane crash in Pokhara". The Indian Express. Kathmandu. Press Trust of India. 18 January 2023. OCLC 70274541. Archived from the original on 19 January 2023. Retrieved 22 January 2023.
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  37. ^ "Black box and cockpit voice recorder from plane that crashed in Nepal found". Sky News. 16 January 2023. Archived from the original on 19 January 2023. Retrieved 24 January 2023. The devices are believed to be in good condition and it is hoped they will be able to help investigators determine why the plane came down.
  38. ^ "Nepal plane crash: Flight recorders to be examined in Singapore". CNA. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
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  40. ^ Bhattarai, Anish; Pathi, Krutika (17 January 2023). "Families mourn Nepal plane victims, data box sent to France". AP News. Retrieved 27 January 2023.