By Simon Hradecky, created Saturday, May 27th 2017 11:34Z, last updated Friday, Apr 13th 2018 14:45Z A Summit Air (former Goma Air) Let L-410, registration 9N-AKY performing freight flight 409 from Kathmandu to Lukla (Nepal) with 3 crew and 1,680kg of cargo, was on final approach to Lukla's runway 06 at about 14:04L (08:19Z) when the aircraft contacted a tree short of the runway and subsequently contacted ground about 3 meters/10 feet below the runway level. The aircraft slid down the slope before coming to a rest about 200 meters below the runway level. The captain and the first officer died as result of the accident, another crew member received injuries.



Nepali Police reported the aircraft touched branches of a tree, suffered technical problems and impacted ground about 3 meters below the runway level just before 14:00L (08:15Z).



The airport reported the aircraft collided with a tree while attempting to land in foggy conditions at 14:04L and subsequently impacted ground. It took rescuers some time to free the crew out of the damaged cockpit area, all three were taken to the Lukla Hospital alive, however, the captain died after arrival in the hospital.



The following day the hospital reported the first officer succumbed to his injuries during the night. The third crew member was diagnosed with minor injuries and is stable on the way to recovery.



On Jun 7th 2017 a surveillance video by Lukla Airport was released showing the aircraft came out of fog/cloud about 6 seconds prior to impact (about 3-4 seconds after start of video), descended below runway level and impacted ground.



On Dec 16th 2017 in a press conference the accident investigation committee reported the final report has been submitted to the Ministry of Transport (editorial note: the final report has not yet been published). The committee reported that nearing the Lukla valley the crew was informed about heavy rain at Lukla and was considering to return to Kathmandu, however, was told Kathmandu was overly busy with many aircraft in the holds. Shortly afterwards the crew was told the weather at Lukla had improved and the rain had stopped. The aircraft entered the Lukla Valley but entered dense fog as soon as it entered the Lukla Valley and remained in that fog for about 4 minutes. 64 seconds before impact the first officer sighted the runway, the aircraft was at 9100 feet MSL at that time (Lukla elevation 8900 feet MSL), the aircraft was about 15 degrees off the extended runway center line. The runway disappeared from view again, the aircraft descended to 8500 feet MSL, the captain attempted to correct the error and began to climb the aircraft, however, with the landing gear out the aircraft slowed, the stall warning activated 13 seconds before impact. The aircraft struck a small tree with its left hand wing before impacting ground about 130 feet short of the runway. The commission stated that even if the crew had attempted to go around, they would not have been aware of their position in the narrow valley due to the dense fog, the captain has no time to carry out a recovery procedure. Both the flight crew as well as the airport authority violated standard operating procedures. The airport authority should have monitored the weather situation and temporarily closed the aerodrome. The crew should not have flown into that weather fluctuating every few minutes. It can not be ruled out that the captain was affected by fatigue. The commission believes the traffic congestion at Kathmandu was a contributing factor into the accident and recommended to review the situation at Kathmandu Airport with respect to traffic congestion. In addition the commission reported the runway in Lukla could be extended by 100 feet and recommended to do so.



Goma Air rebranded into Summit Air on Mar 13th 2017.



On Apr 13th 2018 Nepal's Accident Investigation Commission (NAIC) released their final report concluding the probable cause of the accident was:



The Commission concludes that the probable cause of this accident was aircraft stall as a result of excessive drag created by sudden increase in angle of attack of the aircraft supplemented by low speed (below Vref) in an attempt to initiate immediate climb on a landing configuration (full flap and landing gear down) warranted by the critical situation of the final phase of flight.



The contributing factors for the accident are:



- Critical terrain and rapidly deteriorating weather condition.



- Pilot's loss of situational awareness



- Improper pilot response to stall warning including failure to advance power lever to maximum at appropriate time.



- Voilation of SOP by the ATS and Pilot as well.





The NAIC described the sequence leading to the accident in the abstract: "While continuing approach, both cockpit crew sighted the runway at 9100ft. That was 64 seconds before the impact. While continuing approach the aircraft deviated to the right by almost 15 degrees and erroneously descended too low to 8500ft whereas threshold height is 8900ft. The aircraft was too close to the threshold and in the meantime already 400ft below the threshold. In that situation flight crews had no other alternatives than to climb immediately. So, in an effort to climb and reach threshold in a landing configuration with landing gears down and on full flaps excessive drag was created resulting aircraft to stall. Subsequently its left wing first hit a small tree and then impacted the sloppy terrain 130 feet short of the runway."



The NAIC detailed further in the factual presentation:



Aircraft reported entering valley at 0816. CVR record showed that First Officer sighted the runway at 0817 (64 seconds before the impact). Instantly PIC acknowledged he had also the runway in sight. Aircraft was at 9100 ft(approx.) when the cockpit crews sighted the runway. It maintained 9000 feet (approx.) for further 21 seconds. At time 0817:12i.e. 48 seconds before the impact Tower gave the latest wind as Westerly 04 knots and runway was clear. PIC was still in doubt and asked whether there was rain. Upon confirmation of having no rain from the Tower the aircraft started to descend further. The PIC, who was also the PF, found to have lost situational awareness deviated to the right with continued descend. At 0817:35 (25 seconds before impact) when the flight was descending through 8650ft First Officer warned PIC that they were too low. PIC did not respond the F/O's call-out and continued descend. On reaching 8500ft. F/O again warned PIC in panic. Then PIC asked in panic where the runway was. F/O directed towards the runway. But it was already too low and too late. There was initially two short stall warning sound. Then a continuous stall warning sounded till the impact, which lasted for 13 seconds. The last words in CVR records was (tranlated: Do not pull too much).



Abrupt change in aircraft attitude in an attempt to climb and reach threshold height at 8900ft. (on Kathmandu QNH) in a landing configuration, with landing gears down and on full flaps, created excessive drag resulting the aircraft to stall. Subsequently, its left wing first hit a small tree branch 180ft. short of the threshold. Then impacted the sloppy terrain 100ft. short of the runway.After the crash aircraft engine was reported to be running for about a minute. But there was no postcrash fire. Aircraft was totally damaged by the impact.



The captain (48, ATPL, 9,687 hours total, 1,897 hours on type) was pilot flying, the first officer (27, CPL, 1,311 hours total, 1,028 hours on type) was pilot monitoring.



The NAIC analysed the FDR data: "Referring to above charts, the aircraft was flying low during final moments of its flight. On the final minute IAS was significantly low which dropped below 50Kt during final few seconds then further down below 20 kt. Pitch attitude was at maximum during final seconds. Magnetic heading was abruptly changed in the last moment. Following comparative chart will further elaborate the final parameters of crashed flight and other two flights previous to the occurrence."



The NAIC analysed the last 267 seconds of the flight:



They entered Lukla valley at 9,200 ft. which normally should be 10,500 ft. That counted as a violation of SOPs (both GOMA AIR as well as Lukla Airport SOP). The flight crew were not able to see the final glide path for landing to runway 06 and they were informed about the rapidly increasing thick fog towards the left as well as the right base of runway 06. The pilot monitoring had spotted the runway at exactly 64 second before impact and so did the Captain 2 seconds later.



The flight crew had configured the airplane with flaps fully extended and landing gear down for landing 35 seconds ahead of the impact. The Pilot monitoring did not lose sight of the runway till impact but the Captain (PF) could not maintain the runway in sight during the last 25 seconds due to several reasons. The reasons might be lack of situational awareness, high workload, low visibility, a fixed mind-set to land due to high severity of risk produced by surrounding terrain, aircraft being lower than the runway threshold and still not being able to sight the runway and Captain's intention to climb to reach threshold height of 8900 ft. from 8500ft. (using KTM, QNH). During the last 10 seconds, both pilots took cross control of the aircraft. In their attempt to climb the aircraft in landing configuration to 8900 ft. from 8500ft. the aircraft lost a substantial amount of speed from 75 knots to 19 knots within the time frame of 13 seconds with continuous stall warning. The stall recovery procedure is to apply maximum engine torque, lower the nose and reconfigure the aircraft stepwise but the Captain only partially applied engine torque to 22%, 42% and 92% in the interval of 4.33 seconds, respectively, and the pitch rose from +6 degrees to +27.6 degrees. The airplane fell “behind the power curve” and then proceeded to stall and impact on the sloppy terrain 130 ft. short of the runway threshold. It came to rest 100 ft. below the runway threshold 06.



With respect to the flight attendant (3rd crew member) on the flight the NAIC analysed: "The Cabin Crew has been working with Goma Air for two years (since 18th Oct-2015). She sustained serious injuries during crash and was evacuated to Kathmandu. Her condition is stable, and she is recovering well. The commission met her on 26th June, 2017 (1 month after crash), but she was not in a condition to answer questions at that stage. The commission met her again on 14th July, 2017 (1 and ˝ months after crash). She did not remember much about the actual crash but said that weather was not as normal as usual on that flight."



The NAIC analysed with respect to CG: "Upon physical inspection of the crashed aircraft, cargo position and latches were found to be properly done. So the commission ruled out the possibility of shift of CG to be the cause of accident."



Lukla Airport Surveillance Camera showing final approach and impact (Video: Lukla Airport):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_iw7iTt3wwk



Graph of flight data of last 180 seconds (Graphics: NAIC):





9N-AKY down the slope before Lukla runway 06:







</s>A cargo plane crashed Saturday as it was trying to land at a small airport near Mount Everest, seriously injuring the two pilots and hostess on board, officials said.

KATHMANDU: A cargo plane crashed Saturday (May 27) as it was trying to land at a small airport near Mount Everest, seriously injuring the two pilots and hostess on board, officials said.

All three crew members were pulled alive from the wreckage of the plane, which broke into three pieces when it crashed as it was attempting to land at Lukla airport in heavy fog.

"A cargo plane has crashed in Lukla and we are trying to get more details. It crashed on approach to the airport," Sagar Acharya of Summit Air, which operates the aircraft.

"The three crew members have been taken to hospital. We are not yet sure what caused the accident," he added.

Local media reported that the three crew members were in a serious condition.

Lukla airport -- commonly nicknamed the most dangerous airport in the world -- in the main gateway to the Everest region and sees thousands of trekkers and climbers pass through it each year.

Nepal has a poor air safety record, which is largely blamed on inadequate maintenance, inexperienced pilots and poor management.

Two deadly plane crashes last year claimed at least 25 lives, the first when a passenger plane slammed into a mountainside and the second when a small aircraft crash-landed killing the two pilots.

Despite the risks, air travel is popular in Nepal, which has a limited road network. Many communities, particularly in the mountains and hills, are accessible only by foot or by air.

All Nepal airlines are banned from flying to the European Union because their poor safety standards.</s>A senior pilot was killed and two members of the crew, including a woman, were injured on Saturday when a Nepalese cargo aircraft crashed while landing in foggy weather at an airport in the Mount Everest region. “The Czech-manufactured LET-410 plane belonging to the domestic airline Goma Air crashed while landing at Tenzing–Hillary Airport, also known as Lukla Airport, the gateway to the Mount Everest region,” said a senior manager at Nepal’s Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA).

According to Prem Nath Thakur, spokesperson at the TIA, the incident might have occurred due to bad weather. The aircraft 9N-AKY was carrying cargo when the incident took place, The Himalyan Times reported.

The deceased has been identified as Paras Kumar Rai, a permanent resident of Bhojpur district in eastern Nepal and the pilot of the flight. The injured has been identified as air hostess Pragya Manandhar and co-pilot Shreejan Manandhar. Rai died on the spot, police said.

Rescue operation is being carried out by the local people, Nepali Army and police personnel, an eyewitness said. Air hostess Maharjan and co-pilot Manadhar have been rescued, he said, adding that they were being rushed to a

 nearby hospital for treatment.

Two helicopters were put on standby at Lukla to airlift the injured to Kathmandu for treatment, an official said.

For all the latest World News, download Indian Express App now</s>Kathmandu: The death toll in the Nepalese cargo aircraft crash in the Mount Everest region has risen to two after the co-pilot of the plane succumbed to his injuries, officials said on Sunday.

A senior pilot and the co-pilot were killed when the aircraft 9N-AKY crashed while landing in foggy weather at Tenzing-Hillary Airport, also known as Lukla Airport, the gateway to the Mount Everest region on Saturday.

The plane, carrying three crew members on board, including a woman, belonged to the domestic airline Goma Air.

The senior captain of the Czech-manufactured LET-410 cargo flight Paras Kumar Rai, 48, died on the spot.

Critically injured co-pilot Srijan Manandhar was rushed to a hospital in Lukla but he succumbed to injuries nearly eight hours after the accident, The Himalayan Times reported.

The bodies have been sent for postmortem in Kathmandu.

Flight attendant Pragya Maharjan, who was injured in the incident, is said to be out of danger.

The cargo plane was piloted by captain Rai, a permanent resident of Bhojpur district in eastern Nepal, Goma Air's officials said.

According to Thakur, round-the-clock efforts to airlift the co-pilot and flight attendant failed due to bad weather.

Two helicopters were put on standby at Lukla to airlift the injured to Kathmandu for treatment, an official said.

Flight attendant Maharjan suffered minor injuries while rescuers found the captain and co-pilot trapped in the cockpit of the plane.

According to an eyewitnesses, the plane had hit a tree three metres below the runway threshold and crashed.

"The weather suddenly played foul when the captain was making final approach in one of the world's most 'dangerous airstrip' for landing," airport officials added.

"Rescue operation was carried out by the local people, Nepali Army and police personnel," said Pasang Sherpa who witnessed the scene.

Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation is going to form a high-level panel to investigate the accident, according to Joint Secretary Suresh Acharya, who also heads the aircraft accident investigation division.

The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal will also send a technical team to Lukla.

The Lukla airport, the gateway to Mount Everest, is considered one of the "world's most dangerous airports" as it demands courage and precision to fly at tiny, treacherous runway perched on a steep cliff.

This is the second major crash with casualty since 2008 at Lukla Airport after the first men to climb Mt Everest.

On October 8, 2008, Yeti Airlines Flight 103 crashed on final approach and caught fire, killing 18 passengers and crew. The aircraft's captain was the only survivor then.</s>A cargo plane crashed Saturday as it was trying to land at a small airport near Mount Everest, killing the pilot and seriously injuring the two other crew members on board, officials said.

All three crew members were pulled alive from the wreckage of the plane, which broke into three pieces when it crashed as it was attempting to land at Lukla airport in heavy fog.

The pilot died shortly after reaching hospital, local police officer Madhav Budhathoki told AFP. The co-pilot and air hostess are currently undergoing treatment and are in a serious condition.

"A cargo plane has crashed in Lukla and we are trying to get more details. It crashed on approach to the airport," said Sagar Acharya of Summit Air, which operates the aircraft.

"We are not yet sure what caused the accident," he added.

Lukla airport -- commonly nicknamed the most dangerous airport in the world -- is the main gateway to the Everest region and sees thousands of trekkers and climbers pass through it each year.

Nepal has a poor air safety record, which is largely blamed on inadequate maintenance, inexperienced pilots and poor management.

Two deadly plane crashes last year claimed at least 25 lives, the first when a passenger plane slammed into a mountainside and the second when a small aircraft crash-landed killing the two pilots.

Despite the risks, air travel is popular in Nepal, which has a limited road network. Many communities, particularly in the mountains and hills, are accessible only by foot or by air.

All Nepal airlines are banned from flying to the European Union because their poor safety standards.
A Summit Air Let L-410 crashes after hitting a tree while landing at Lukla Airport in Nepal following a cargo flight. Both pilots die. A third crewman survives.