1993 Everest Air Dornier 228 crash explained

1993 Everest Air Dornier 228 crash
Occurrence Type:Accident
Caption:A Dornier 228 similar to the one involved
Image Upright:1.15
Date:31 July 1993
Type:Controlled flight into terrain
Site:Near Bharatpur, Nepal
Aircraft Type:Dornier 228-101
Operator:Everest Air
Tail Number:9N-ACL
Origin:Tribhuvan International Airport
Destination:Bharatpur Airport
Occupants:19
Passengers:16
Crew:3
Fatalities:19
Survivors:0

On 31 July 1993, a Dornier 228 passenger turboprop operated by Nepalese airline Everest Air crashed in Tanahun District near Chule Ghopte hill, Nepal. The crash killed all of the 19 passengers and crew on board.[1] [2]

Aircraft

The aircraft involved was a Dornier 228 bearing the registration 9N-ACL. It was built by Dornier Flugzeugwerke in 1984 and was operated by several German airlines and later in the Marshall Islands before being purchased by Everest Air in 1992.[3]

Incident

The aircraft was flying from Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu to Bharatpur Airport. There were sixteen passengers, two pilots and a flight attendant on board. After taking off at 14:29 local time (10:29 UTC), there was normal contact until 14:45. After that time, contact was lost. The plane crashed at 14:51. The wreckage was found on Chule Ghopte hill.[4] [5]

Passengers and crew

The plane was flown by a Nepali captain and an Indian first officer. Another pilot of Nepal Airlines presumed that the co-pilot was unaware of the mountainous terrain of Nepal. Most of the Nepali passengers were employees of the Ministry of Health on their way to Terrai areas affected by the 1993 Nepal floods.[5] [6]

NationalityFatalitiesTotal
PassengersCrew
Nepal14216
India11
Japan11
Hungary11
Total16319

Investigation

The Government of Nepal set up an investigation committee a few days after the accident. It is assumed that the failing Non-Directional Beacon at Bharatpur Airport led to the accident. The device was not working due to recent heavy flooding in the area.[5]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 18 dead in air crash. https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220501/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/18-dead-in-air-crash-1458419.html . 2022-05-01 . subscription . live. The Independent. 1 May 2018. 31 July 1993.
  2. Web site: Accident description. Aviation Safety Network. 1 May 2018.
  3. Web site: REGISTRATION DETAILS FOR 9N-ACL (EVEREST AIR) DORNIER 228-100. Planelogger. 1 May 2018.
  4. News: Eleven charred bodies recovered at wreckage site. 1 May 2018. Agence France Presse. 1 August 1993.
  5. News: All eighteen plane crash victims' bodies identified. 1 May 2018. Agence France Presse. 2 August 1993.
  6. Web site: 1993 Flood Archive. Dartmouth College. 2 May 2018. 18 February 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200218230609/http://www.dartmouth.edu/~floods/Archives/1993sum.htm. dead.