A tragic incident occurred on Wednesday when a small plane crashed after taking off from Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu, Nepal, killing 18 passengers. The only survivor was the pilot, who sustained serious injuries.
The Saurya Airlines flight departed at 11:11 a.m., bound for Pokhara, Nepal’s second-largest city and a popular Himalayan tourist destination. Shortly after takeoff, the plane veered to the right and crashed on the east side of the runway, bursting into flames, according to the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal.
The cause of the crash is currently under investigation, officials said. Among the deceased were the plane’s co-pilot, one child, and a passenger from Yemen, with the remaining victims being Nepalese. Local media photos showed the charred wreckage scattered around the crash site.
Nepal’s aviation industry has faced numerous safety challenges, with a history of fatal crashes. The country’s rugged, mountainous terrain and unpredictable weather conditions contribute to the high incidence of aviation accidents, experts say. Additionally, there are criticisms that the government has not effectively regulated the industry, with the same authorities overseeing both aircraft regulation and airport operations, leading to potential conflicts of interest.
This crash follows several others in recent years. In January of the previous year, a Yeti Airlines flight crashed in Pokhara while attempting to land at a newly built airport, killing all 72 people on board. Investigations revealed that the pilot mistakenly altered the propeller angle instead of the wing flaps. In May 2022, a Tara Air aircraft, a subsidiary of Yeti Airlines, crashed en route from Pokhara to Jomsom, killing all 22 passengers. Similarly, in 2016, another Tara Air plane crashed on the same route, resulting in 23 fatalities.
