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.

FMI: www.yetiairlines.com