![]() DHC-6 9N-ABM of Tara Airlines, similar to the one that crashed | |
Accident | |
---|---|
Date | 24 February 2016 |
Summary | Crashed |
Site | Dana, Myagdi district |
Aircraft | |
Aircraft type | de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter Series 400 built by Viking Air |
Operator | Tara Air |
Registration | 9N-AHH |
Flight origin | Pokhara |
Destination | Jomsom |
Passengers | 20 |
Crew | 3 |
Fatalities | 23 (all) |
Tara Air Flight 193 (TA 193) was a scheduled domestic passenger flight that crashed on 24 February 2016, while en route from Pokhara Airport in Pokhara, Nepal, to Jomsom Airport in Jomsom. The aircraft, a de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter registration 9N-AHH, went missing with 23 people on board.[1][2][3] The crash site was found near Dana village, Myagdi district, with all on board killed.[4]
Aircraft
The aircraft was previously registered (in 2015) with Viking Air with the tailcode C-GUVT, and was built in 2012.[5] It was later delivered to Nepal (in September 2015) transferred to Tara Air and re-registered as 9N-AHH (in October 2015).[6] The aircraft had a manufacturer's serial number (MSN) of 926.[7]
Passengers
There were 20 passengers on board. 18 – including two children – were from Nepal,[8] one from Hong Kong, and one from Kuwait.[9]
Country | Passengers | Crew | Total |
---|---|---|---|
![]() |
18 | 3 | 21 |
![]() |
1 | 0 | 1 |
![]() |
1 | 0 | 1 |
Total | 20 | 3 | 23 |
Crash
The aircraft took off from Pokhara at 7:50 am local time. The normal flight duration of the route is 18 minutes. It lost contact with the control tower at Pokhara 10 minutes after takeoff,[9] and was found crashed at Tirkhe Dhunga, Dana VDC of Myagdi district at 1:25 pm by a police team deployed from Dana Police Post.[8] Tara Air reported that the weather at both origin and destination airports was favourable.
Recovery
Helicopters scoured the route for hours, but rescue efforts were slowed down by poor weather conditions, including dense fog.[10] The wreckage was found burning after impacting a mountain side, with charred bodies visible inside.[11] Bishwa Raj Khadka, the district Chief of Police,[12] stated that personnel involved in the rescue operations have recovered 17 bodies from the crash site.[13]
Investigation
A high level probe panel is being formed to investigate the crash.[14] Ananda Prasad Pokharel, minister for culture, tourism and civil aviation said that the wreckage of the plane was found in a completely burnt state in Solighopte in Myagdi District, a part of Dhaulagiri Zone. Jomsom, in the Himalayas, is about 20 minutes’ flight from Pokhara. It is popular with foreign tourists visiting the Mount Annapurna and Mustang District for trekking. Hindu pilgrims rever the Muktinath temple there and for the Tibetan Buddhists, is the 24 Tantric places of Dakinis, goddesses known as Sky Dancers with the murti of Avalokitesvara.[15][16][17]
See also
References
- ^ "Missing Tara Air plane with 23 onboard could have crashed in Myagdi's Rupse". The Kathmandu Post. 24 February 2016. Retrieved 24 February 2016.
- ^ Hradecky, Simon (24 February 2016). "Accident: Tara DHC6 near Pokhara on Feb 24th 2016, aircraft missing enroute". Aviation Herald. Retrieved 24 February 2016.
- ^ "Plane crash feared in Nepal as flight carrying 21 goes missing in mountains". The Guardian. 24 February 2016. Retrieved 24 February 2016.
- ^ "Missing Nepal Tara Air passenger plane 'found crashed in jungle' amid fears no one survived". 24 February 2016.
- ^ "Aircraft Registration Database Lookup". Airframes.org. Retrieved 24 February 2016.
- ^ Ranter, Harro. "ASN Aircraft accident Viking Air DHC-6 Twin Otter 400 9N-AHH Dana, Myagdi district". aviation-safety.net. Retrieved 24 February 2016.
- ^ "2016-02-24 Tara Air Twin Otter crashed in Myagdi District, Nepal". JACDEC. Retrieved 24 February 2016.
- ^ a b "23 confirmed dead in Myagdi plane crash". The Himalayan Times. Retrieved 24 February 2016.
- ^ a b "Nepal small passenger plane wreckage found". BBC News. 24 February 2016. Retrieved 24 February 2016.
- ^ "Nepal plane crash: Tara Air plane goes down, 23 feared dead". CNN. Retrieved 24 February 2016.
- ^ "Nepal plane crash: All 23 on board killed as Tara Air flight crashes into Himalayan mountain". International Business Times UK. Retrieved 24 February 2016.
- ^ "Missing Tara Air plane found crashed in Myagdi (UPDATE)". Setopati. Retrieved 24 February 2016.
- ^ "All 23 onboard Tara Air dead, 17 bodies recovered". kathmandupost.ekantipur.com. Retrieved 24 February 2016.
- ^ "Crash: Tara DHC6 near Pokhara on Feb 24th 2016, aircraft impacted terrain". avherald.com. Retrieved 24 February 2016.
- ^ Wreckage of plane carrying 23 people found in Nepal[1]
- ^ "Chances of finding Tara Air passengers alive slim: Nepal Army". kathmandupost.ekantipur.com. Retrieved 24 February 2016.
- ^ "Missing Nepal Tara Air passenger plane 'found crashed in jungle'". The Independent. Retrieved 24 February 2016.