Did Not Check Weather, Or Flight Plan The Route

The fatal March 3 downing of a Russian Mil-17 helicopter ferrying 10 people from a camp for former Maoist rebels in Nepal has been blamed on pilot error.

CNN reports Nepalese investigators say the helo's pilot failed to check weather conditions along his route before takeoff, and was unfamiliar with the terrain. Both factors came into play, according to a report by the investigating commission.

"He thought that, 'If I climb into the clouds, I will be safe above the terrain and continue to Kathmandu,'" said Nagendra Prasad Ghimire, joint secretary of the civil aviation ministry and a member of the investigation commission.

Ghimire also said the pilot lost control of the helo, but did not attempt to disengage the aircraft's autopilot as it fell from the sky. "The pilot should have manually handled the aircraft to rotate safely to the ground," Ghimire said. "Unfortunately, he didn't."

As ANN reported, the helicopter impacted a mountainous region near Bhawasa, about 90 miles east of Kathmandu. Initial reports indicated as many as 12 people were onboard the helo -- later revised to eight observers, and two Russian pilots -- and witnesses said the Mil-17 was struck by lightning before it went down.

FMI: www.un.org