6. Makalu Air
Image Source: Makalu Air
Makalu Air is Nepal's first Single Engine Cessna Grand Caravan C208B aircraft operator, having three Cessna Grand Caravans in its fleet for charter operations. Makalu Air was founded in 2009 with the first Grand Caravan from the United States. Arial Sightseeing Tours, Emergency Evacuation, Freight Transportation, and Private Chartered are among the services offered by Makalu Air. Makalu Air has had three crashes, yet they still have three planes flying to remote parts of Nepal. On Monday, November 21, 2011, a Makalu Air Cessna 208B Grand Caravan encountered a runway excursion after landing at Talcha Airport in Nepal. The jet took a nosedive down the runway embankment. A little fire broke out near the engine, but it was quickly extinguished. Contributing factors included a downdraft on the short final and an unstabilized approach. Only 5 years after the initial incident, on Thursday 4 August 2016, a Cessna 208B Grand Caravan flying from Surkhet to Simikot, Nepal, forced landed in the Karnali River due to engine failure. Both members of the crew swam ashore. Currents are alleged to have swept the aircraft away. On Wednesday, May 16, 2018, a Makalu Air Cessna 208B Grand Caravan crashed into a mountaintop near Simikot, Nepal, at an altitude of 12,800 feet. Both crew members died as a result of their injuries.