Nepal Airlines Flight 555
 A de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter of Nepal Airlines, similar to the aircraft involved in the accident | |
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | 16 May 2013 |
| Summary | Overran the runway on landing, went down a hill and impacted a stone terrace on the bank of Gandaki River nose-first |
| Site | Jomsom, Manang, Nepal 28°46′57″N 83°43′38″E / 28.7826°N 83.7273°E |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter |
| Operator | Nepal Airlines |
| Registration | 9N-ABO[1] |
| Flight origin | Pokhara Airport |
| Destination | Jomsom Airport |
| Passengers | 18 |
| Crew | 3 |
| Fatalities | 0 |
| Injuries | 7 |
| Survivors | 21 (all) |
Nepal Airlines Flight 555 was a short domestic scheduled flight from Pokhara Airport to Jomsom Airport in Nepal of about 20 minutes' flying time, operated by Nepal Airlines. On 16 May 2013 the de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter aircraft operating the flight crashed while landing at Jomsom Airport. Seven of the twenty-one on board were seriously injured. There were no fatalities, but the aircraft was damaged beyond economic repair.[2][3][4]
According to police, just after the aircraft touched down on the runway it veered towards the right and fell 20 metres (66 ft) down the bank of the Gandaki River. The forward fuselage was destroyed, but the rear of the aircraft remained intact. The left wing was found submerged in the river.[5]
The accident left Nepal Airlines with only two operational aircraft for its domestic flights. The airline said that it planned an engine exchange that would put three more Twin Otters, currently grounded, back in the air, but that process would take at least five months. In the meantime, the airline was expect to suffer a significant loss of market share.[6]
Victims
| Nationality | Passengers | Crew | Injured |
|---|---|---|---|
 Nepal |
10 | 3 | 5 |
 Japan |
8 | 0 | 2 |
| Total | 18 | 3 | 7 |
There were eight Japanese tourists on the flight. All sustained injuries, with four of them in a critical condition according to a police officer.[5] The names of the victims have been released.[5]
Investigation
An investigation will be carried out to determine what caused the accident. According to an official at Tribhuwan International Airport, preliminary reports have shown that windy conditions could have played a part in the crash.[2]
See also
References
- ^ Waldron, Greg (16 May 2013). "Nepal Airlines Twin Otter crashes, crew in critical condition". Flightglobal. Retrieved 16 May 2013.
- ^ a b Parashar, Utpal (16 May 2013). "7 critically injured in Nepal plane crash". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 24 May 2013.
- ^ "Five critically injured in Mustang plane crash (with photos)". República. 16 May 2013. Retrieved 16 May 2013.
- ^ "Nepali plane crash causes injuries". Japan Broadcasting Corporation. 16 May 2013. Retrieved 16 May 2013.
- ^ a b c "Nepal plane crash injures 21, including 8 Japanese". The Washington Post. Associated Press. 16 May 2013. Retrieved 24 May 2013.
- ^ "NAC to lose market share due to lack of aircraft". The Himalayan Times. 17 May 2013. Retrieved 31 May 2013.