For the first time in the history of “Mountain Flight,” a popular flight of 50 minutes that takes off from Kathmandu airport for sightseeing of the Himalayan peaks, including Mt. Everest, a private airline’s plane crashed at Kotdanda hill in Kathmandu Valley on Sunday morning around 7:35 am.
The US-made Beechcraft 1900-D of Buddha Air was preparing to land with 16 passengers and 3 crew members on board this ill-fated aircraft. Eighteen persons were killed on the spot, while 1 passenger was rushed to a hospital where he was declared dead upon arrival.
Out of the 19 persons, there were 10 Indians, 2 Americans, 1 Japanese, and 6 Nepalese.
This morning, the sky over Kathmandu Valley was cloudy. In the past, Nepal has witnessed air crashes, especially during the monsoon. The safety of the Nepalese sky is a big challenge to ensure the success of “Tourism Year 2011,” and it is an absolute must to ensure the utmost safety of the aviation sector.
Interestingly, Buddha Air, operating with the latest American aircrafts and ATRs, was considered to be the safest and most reliable airline, which did not have to claim any accidental insurance in its 14-year-long operations. An investigation team has been formed by the Nepal government in order to investigate the reason behind the accident so as to ensure better safety measures ahead.
source: http://www.eturbonews.com/
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