Group Was Flying To Mt. Everest, Pilot Reported Bird Strike

A Sita Air aircraft carrying a group of tourists and others towards Mount Everest went down Friday resulting in the fatal injury of all on board. The pilot reported hitting an eagle before the Dornier-built aircraft caught fire and went down just two minutes after takeoff from Kathmandu International Airport, according to China's state-run Xinhau news service.

CNN reports that, according to Nepal's Civil Aviation Authority, the aircraft went down on the bank of the Manohara River in Bhaktapur District. Those on board included seven British and five Chinese citizens, their respective governments confirmed. The other four people on board were Nepalese. The pilot reportedly attempted to land the burning airplane near the river.

The plane's FDR has been recovered. The general manager of Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu Lai Suman said that the aircraft appears to have hit a black eagle.

The accident remains under investigation. It is reminiscent of an accident a year ago in which 19 people, including two Americans, were fatally injured when the airplane they were aboard collided with a mountain returning to Kathmandu after a sightseeing trip.

(Image logo of the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal)

FMI: www.caanepal.org.np