DHC-6 Twin Otter of Tara Air
The plane crashed in the mountainous northern Nepal due to bad weather killing all 23 people on board. A rescue team Thursday (25 Feb 2016) recovered the bodies of 20 passengers and three crew, who had been aboard the plane that crashed in a mountainous region in Nepal, an official told in statement.
"The 23 bodies have been found and taken to Surkepatal where a helipad has been built," said Sagar Mani Pathak, district chief of Myagdi district, where the aircraft 9N-AHH crashed Wednesday morning. The plane crashed Wednesday in the mountainous northern Nepal due to bad weather killing all 23 people on board, said a police officer.
The Twin Otter aircraft, operated by Tara Private Air, was on a flight from Pokhara, 125 kilometers (80 miles) west of the capital Kathmandu to Jomsom when it lost contact with the control tower. A police source said the plane had broken into pieces and there were no survivors. A Chinese citizen and a Kuwaiti citizen were among the dead.
Officials said heavy fog had enveloped the area where is Mustang Jomsom. Mustang is a hiking area in the Annapurna trekking circuit assembly. A similar plane crashed in western Nepal in 2014, killing 18 people.
Evacuation Efforts
Nepal Army has said the chances of finding passengers aboard the Tara Air crashed alive are very slim. It was found that the plane crashed in a forest in Soli Ghoptebhir Myagdi district after four hours of intense search and rescue operation.
Army spokesman Brigadier General Tara Bahadur Karki said there was little chance that any Abord the aircraft could have survived the crash. Karki said a team of Nepal Army have reached the crash site and have located the section of the wing and tail of the aircraft. However, the search is still in the fuselage where passengers are.
Crashed Site
Aviation Minister Aananda Prasad Pokhrel confirmed that the plane was found crashed in a jungle in Kekarko Butta in the district. DSP Myagdi district Bishwa Raj Khadka said the plane was completely destroyed by fire on accident.
The police officer Phool Kumar Thapa Magar, who was one of the first to reach the crash site, said the crash site is in a very treacherous ground and the wreckage is scattered over an area of about 200 meters. "The plane was on fire and that is still burning," he said during a telephone conversation with The Post. Thapa also said the weather at the accident site was very cold and deteriorate further.
Several police teams are on their way to the crash site. The 9N-AHH Viking Twin Otter with 20 passengers and three crew members on board disappeared early in the morning in Pokhara-Jomsom route. The plane took off from Pokhara airport at 7:50 am and lost control of Pokhara air traffic control 10 minutes after takeoff when it reached Ghorepani airspace, Myagdi.
Roshan Manandhar pilot during his last conversation with air traffic control Pokhara, said the flight was normal, said Jasoda Subedi, air traffic controller at the airport in Pokhara Chief. " See you, Ghorepani normal, good day "were the last words of the captain.
However, the plane made no contact minutes with Jomsom airport. Later, repeated contact with the captain of Pokhara and Jomsom airport failed. Two helicopters were sent from Pokhara to search mission.
Among the passengers, airline officials said a Chinese, a Kuwaiti and two children were on board. Tara Air added brand new appliances DHC6-400 Viking Twin Otter to its fleet in September last year.
The short takeoff and landing aircraft (STOL) has avionics technology edge with a cabin full glass integrated has an early warning system ground proximity improved prevention system traffic collisions and full color weather radar .
Local witness : "Plane was still burning"
Nabin Khadka, a local Dana-1, Kavre Myagdi district, which arrived on the scene with police officer crashed Phool Kumar Thapa Magar said the wreckage was scattered and the plane was still burning. "The plane was still burning," he said during a telephone conversation with the Post. Thapa said the weather in the accident area was extremely cold and rain was likely.