Top 10 Recent Crashes in Nepal

Last updated on 2024-04-25

Nepal has a long and sadly documented history of plane crashes. These crashes have been exacerbated by the harsh mountainous terrain, a lack of investment in new planes and infrastructure, and weak regulation. The deadliest crashes in Nepal have occurred at Kathmandu's Tribhuvan International Airport, which is 1,338 meters above sea level. The terrain is particularly difficult here since it is located in a tiny oval-shaped valley surrounded by towering, jagged mountains, giving planes little room to maneuver. The top ten most recent crashes, according to the Aviation Safety database, are given below.

*The data is ranked based on the research of The Everest List and the data of the Aviation Safety database.

10. Makalu Air - 2016

Image Source: The Jakarta Post

Following a lack of engine power, a Cessna 208B Grand Caravan on a flight from Surkhet to Simikot, Nepal, forced landings in the Karnali River on August 4, 2016. Both members of the crew swam ashore hence no fatalities were encountered. Currents are alleged to have swept the aircraft away.

Crash Date : 04-Aug-2016
Crash Location : Near Simikot
Type : Cessna 208B Grand Caravan
Fatalities : 0
Accident Category : A2 ( Repairable Damage)

9. Yeti Airlines - 2016

Image Source: Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives

On Saturday, September 24, 2016, a Yeti Airlines plane overshot the runway while landing at Bhairahawa Airport. According to our Bhairahawa correspondent Madhav Dhungana, the jet with registration number 9N-AIB overshot and came to rest some 250 meters from the runway's edge. The incident did not injure any of the 32 people on board the British-made Jetstream 41, including three crew members. BAe 4101 Jetstream 41 was the model of the plane.

Crash Date : 24-Sep-2016
Crash Location : Bhairawa Airport
Type : BAe 4101 Jetstream 41
Fatalities : 0
Accident Category : A1 ( Hull-Loss)

8. Summit Air - 2017

Image Source: Global Punjab Tv

Summit Air's Let L-410UVP-E20 was wrecked in an accident while attempting to land on runway 06 at Nepal's Lukla-Tenzing-Hillary Airport. Flight 409 took off from Kathmandu at 07:44 UTC, destined for Lukla.It was the aircraft's fifth flight to Lukla, with the same crew. After an hour of heavy rain, the weather in Lukla was gloomy, although visibility and ceiling were reported to be fine. Almost 4 minutes after the initial contact, Tower advised flight 409 of the impending bad weather. Both cockpit crews sighted the runway at 9100 feet while continuing their approach. That was 64 seconds before the collision. While completing the approach, the aircraft veered to the right by about 15 degrees and fell incorrectly to 8500 feet, whereas the threshold height is 8900 feet. In a landing configuration, the flight crew attempted to climb and achieve the threshold. The plane pitched up to more than 25 degrees, the airspeed plummeted, and the plane stuck. Following that, its left wing collided with a small tree before crashing into the sloped ground 130 feet short of the runway. Both the captain and copilot died as a result of their injuries.

Crash Date : 27-May-2017
Crash Location : Lukla-Tenzing-Hillary Airport
Type : Let L-410UVP-E20
Fatalities : 2
Accident Category : A1 ( Hull-Loss)

7. Nepal Army - 2017

Image Source: Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives

A Nepal army plane crashed on Tuesday, May 30, 2017, killing the pilot and injuring the two other crew members on board, according to a local authority. According to Devendra Lamichanne, chief district officer for Bajura, where the disaster occurred, the Poland-made Skytruck overshot the runway and caught fire. It was transporting food supplies to the distant far west of the Himalayan nation, where road access is limited. Three days earlier, a cargo plane crashed near Mount Everest, killing the captain and co-pilot. The injured were flown to Nepalgunj on a Sita Airlines plane and taken to Kohalpur Hospital in Banke for treatment. The plane's model was the PZL-Mielec M28 Skytruck.

Crash Date : 30-May-2017
Crash Location : Bajura Airport
Type : PZL-Mielec M28 Skytruck
Fatalities : 1
Accident Category : A1 ( Hull-Loss)

6. Tara Air - 2017

Image Source: 1001 Crash

Tara Air's DHC-6 Twin Otter 300 experienced a runway excursion during departure from Simikot Airport in Nepal. The airplane reportedly lost directional control after a burst tire on takeoff. According to preliminary reports, the passengers and personnel on board were injured during the event. Captain Basanta Lama and two police officers on board are said to have suffered head injuries. Three members of the crew and one passenger were hurt, but no one was killed. The plane suffered extensive damage.

Crash Date : 28-Nov-2017
Crash Location : Simikot Airport
Type : DHC-6 Twin Otter 300
Fatalities : 0
Accident Category : A2 ( Repairable Damage)

5. US-Bangla Airlines - 2018

Image Source: Express Co

Flight 211 of US-Bangla Airlines was a scheduled international passenger flight from Dhaka, Bangladesh, to Kathmandu, Nepal, that crashed while landing on March 12, 2018, killing 51 of the 71 persons on board. After the crash, the aircraft, a 76-seat Bombardier Q400 operated by US-Bangla Airlines, erupted into flames, and the 20 surviving passengers were critically injured by the impact and fire. It was the deadliest aviation tragedy involving a Bangladeshi airline at the time, as well as the deadliest event using the Bombardier Dash 8 Q400. It was first suspected that poor contact with air traffic control was to blame. However, authorities now believe that the pilot was yelling to crew members and smoking in the cockpit owing to stress and involved in unneeded, unprofessional, and extended talk even throughout the vital moment.

Crash Date : 12-Mar-2018
Crash Location : Tribhuvan International Airport
Type : DHC-8-402Q Dash 8
Fatalities : 51
Accident Category : A1 ( Hull-Loss)

4. Makalu Air - 2018

Image Source: Express Co

On Wednesday, May 16, 2018, a Makalu Air cargo plane crashed in Simikot Pass in Bahun Kharka, Humla, killing both pilots. The crash killed both pilot Kiran Bhattarai and co-pilot Aditya Nepali at an altitude of 12,800 feet. The single-engine Cessna 208B Grand Caravan 9N-AJU had flown from Surkhet to Humla via Simikot. It took off from Surkhet Airport at 6:12 a.m. on Wednesday and was expected to land in Simikot at 6:55 a.m. The pilot of a Dornier urged the crew to dive below the clouds when high clouds were reported. The Cessna deviated from the flight path and continued at the same altitude, entering instrument conditions . The aircraft flew over Simikot Pass to the west of the typical crossing location and continued until it collided with a ridge at an altitude of 12800 feet, 7,7 km apart (14,2 kilometers) southeast of Simikot Airport.

Crash Date : 16-May-2018
Crash Location : Bahun Kharka, Humla
Type : Cessna 208B Grand Caravan
Fatalities : 2
Accident Category : A1 ( Hull-Loss)

3. Tara Air - 2018

Image Source: Tourism Mail

On Saturday, a Tara Air flight from Nepalgunj to Jumla had a near escape at Jumla Airport after one of its landing tyres broke. According to the airline company's Manager Bhimraj Rai, the nose of the aircraft was damaged in the accident. The 18 passengers and three crew members are all unharmed. The catastrophe occurred at 3:00 PM after a plane wheel was punctured during landing. The plane involved in the crash was a DHC-6 Twin Otter 300.

Crash Date : 9-June-2018
Crash Location : Jumla Airport
Type : DHC-6 Twin Otter 300
Fatalities : 0
Accident Category : A2 ( Repairable Damage)

2. Summit Air - 2019

Image Source: 1001Crash

Summit Air's scheduled flight SMA 802D, registration 9N-AMH from Tenzing-Hillary Airport in Lukla to Ramechhap Airport, crashed on 14 April 2019 when the aircraft was on take-off roll. The aircraft collided with Manang Air's helicopter, AS350B3e, registration 9N-ALC, with its rotor blade on idle power, and then with Shree Airlines' helicopter, AS350B3e, registration 9N-ALK, just outside the aerodrome's inner perimeter fence into the helipad before coming to a stop. The PIC and Cabin Crew of 9N-AMH survived the crash, while the Co-pilot and one security man on the ground were killed instantly. Another security guard died later in the hospital while being treated for his injuries.

Crash Date : 14-Apr-2019
Crash Location : Lukla-Tenzing-Hillary Airport
Type : Let L-410UVP-E20
Fatalities : 1+ 2
Accident Category : A1 ( Hull-Loss)

1. Tara Air - 2022

Image Source: Aljazeera

Tara Air Flight 197 was a scheduled domestic flight between Pokhara Airport to Jomsom Airport in Nepal operated by Tara Air for parent company Yeti Airlines. The Twin Otter airplane carrying 22 people (19 passengers and 3 crew members) took off at 09:55 NPT (04:10 UTC) on May 29, 2022, and lost touch with air traffic controllers around 12 minutes later at 10:07 NPT (04:22). The wreckage was discovered on a mountainside 20 hours later. The bodies of all 22 passengers and crew members were discovered. With Tara Air's second fatal accident on this route, following Flight 193 in 2016, it is regarded as one of the world's most dangerous airlines. The plane crashed at Sanosware, Thasang-2 .

Crash Date : 29-May-2022
Crash Location : Sanosware, Thasang-2
Type : DHC-6 Twin Otter 300
Fatalities : 22
Accident Category : A1 ( Hull-Loss)