Thu, Oct 09, 2008
Tourist Plane Crashed On Foggy Approach
A De Havilland DHC-6 Twin Otter carrying tourists from Germany,
Australia and Nepal crashed on approach to land in foggy conditions
near Mount Everest Wednesday, claiming the lives of 18 passengers
onboard but apparently sparing the life of the pilot.
The International Herald Tribune reports the Yeti Airlines plane
(similar to type shown above) inbound from Nepal snagged its main
landing gear on a security fence on the perimeter of Lukla airport,
about 40 miles from the mountain.
"Suddenly there was a big bang, and flames came out of the
plane," said witness Suraj Kunwar, who was waiting for a flight
when he saw the plane go down. "All the passengers waiting for
planes ran to help douse the flames, but the passengers were
already dead."
Mohan Adhikari is general manager of Tribhuvan International
Airport in Kathmandu, the accident flight's origination point. He
said Lukla lies at 9,200 feet AGL, and is often used by hiking
teams attempting to climb Everest. The airport has seen a number of
accidents, due in part to a steep dropoff at the runway end.
The plane apparently attempted to land on the airport's smallish
runway with visibility of about 1/4 miles, Adhikari said, which is
right at the limit of the acceptable standard.
Adhikari said 12 German, two Australian and two Nepalese
tourists were onboard the plane, as well as plane's three-person
Nepalese flight crew. Yeti Airlines executive director Vijay
Shreshta said the pilot was transported to a local hospital with
non-life-threatening injuries.
More News
From 2023 (YouTube Version): Legacy of a Titan Robert (Bob) Anderson Hoover was a fighter pilot, test pilot, flight instructor, and air show superstar. More so, Bob Hoover was an i>[...]
Get The Latest in Aviation News NOW on Instagram Are you on Instagram yet? It's been around for a few years, quietly picking up traction mostly thanks to everybody's new obsession >[...]
Aero Linx: B-52H Stratofortress The B-52H Stratofortress is a long-range, heavy bomber that can perform a variety of missions. The bomber is capable of flying at high subsonic spee>[...]
Altimeter Setting The barometric pressure reading used to adjust a pressure altimeter for variations in existing atmospheric pressure or to the standard altimeter setting (29.92).>[...]
"Knowing that we play an active part in bettering people's lives is extremely rewarding. My team and I are very thankful for the opportunity to be here and to help in any way we ca>[...]