Nepal Airlines Flight 183
Nepal Airlines Flight 183 was a scheduled domestic passenger flight operated by a DHC-6 Twin Otter that on 16 February 2014 crashed into a hill near Dhikura, Nepal.[1][2]
 Wreckage from flight 183 at the crash site | |
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | 16 February 2014 |
| Summary | Controlled flight into terrain due to pilot error |
| Site | Dhikura, Arghakhanchi District, Nepal 27.91°N 83.12°E |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter |
| Operator | Nepal Airlines |
| IATA flight No. | RA183 |
| ICAO flight No. | RNA183 |
| Call sign | ROYAL NEPAL 183 |
| Registration | 9N-ABB |
| Flight origin | Pokhara Airport, Nepal |
| Destination | Jumla Airport, Nepal |
| Occupants | 18 |
| Passengers | 15 |
| Crew | 3 |
| Fatalities | 18 |
| Survivors | 0 |
Accident
The aircraft departed from Pokhara Airport in central Nepal with fifteen passengers and three crew members on board and was scheduled to arrive at Jumla Airport in the northwest of the country at 13:45 Nepal Standard Time (8:00 UTC).[3] Thirty minutes into the flight, the 19-seat Twin Otter was attempting to divert to Bhairahawa Airport because of the weather conditions, resulting in radio contact being lost. The last radio communication with the aircraft crew was at 13:13, when the crew reported their approximate position to Bhairahawa Tower, in Khidim.[4] The aircraft eventually crashed in the jungle of Masine Lek, which is located in Dhikura.[5]
Although the crash itself was not witnessed, some residents saw remains of the crashed aircraft. At first, no one was able to get to the crash site due to poor visibility. When the rescue and recovery teams eventually reached the crash site, they found the bodies of all eighteen on board spread over the hill.[6][7]
According to Nepal's Army, the crash site is located at an altitude of 7,000 feet (2,100 m). Parts of the wreckage were found as far away as 7 kilometres (4.3 miles) from the actual crash site.
Aircraft
The aircraft, a DHC-6 Twin Otter (Registration: 9N-ABB), which was delivered to Nepal Airlines in 1971,[8] was involved in two incidents before: On 10 June 1973 on a flight from Biratnagar to Kathmandu, the aircraft was taken over by three hijackers of Nepali Congress party who demanded money and escaped after landing in Bihar, India. None of the three crew and 18 passengers were injured.[9] On 5 July 1992, the aircraft lost directional control on takeoff from Jumla on a flight to Surkhet. The aircraft ran off the runway and struck the airport perimeter fence. None of the three crew were injured and there were no passengers on board.[9]
Passengers and crew
According to Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal official Ram Hari Sharma, everybody on board, except for one Danish passenger, were Nepalese, including a child.[6]
Investigation
The Nepalese Government formed a four-man probe team to investigate the crash. The aircraft's flight recorder was taken from the site. The investigation team was expected to report its findings within two months of the crash.[10]
The final report of the investigation was released on 25 August 2014. It found the accident was caused by a lack of crew coordination; a lack of situational awareness on the part of the crew; and the poor weather.[11]
References
- "Nepal Airlines plane with 18 aboard missing – World – CBC News". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 16 February 2014.
- "Plane assumed crashed in Arghakhanchi still missing – Detail News : Nepal News Portal". The Himalayan Times. Retrieved 16 February 2014.
- "Crash: Nepal DHC6 near Khidim on Feb 16th 2014, aircraft impacted terrain". Avherald.com. Retrieved 16 February 2014.
- "ASN Aircraft accident de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter 300 9N-ABB Khidim". Aviation-safety.net. Retrieved 16 February 2014.
- "Missing Nepal plane: Wreckage found". BBC News. 17 February 2014. Retrieved 17 February 2014.
- "18 feared dead as plane crashes in Nepal mountains". USA Today. Associated Press. 16 February 2014. Retrieved 19 February 2014.
- "Nepal plane crash kills 18 in snow, rain and fog". USA Today. Associated Press. 17 February 2014. Retrieved 19 February 2014.
- "Planelogger". Retrieved 3 October 2017.
- "Aviation Safety Network". Retrieved 18 November 2006.
- Adhikari, Deepak (18 February 2014). "Nepal plane crash in bad weather killed all 18 on board". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 27 March 2014.
- "Draft final report on the accident investigation" (PDF). aviation-safety.net. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
External links
Media related to Nepal Airlines Flight 183 at Wikimedia Commons- "Nepal De Havilland DHC-6 Twin Otter near Khidim on Feb 16th 2014, aircraft impacted terrain". www.aeroinside.com. Retrieved 14 February 2019.
- "FINAL REPORT ON THE ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION OF 9N-ABB TWIN OTTER (DHC6/300) AIRCRAFT OWNED AND OPERATED BY--NEPAL AIRLINES CORPORATION AT DIHIDANDA, MASINALEK ARGHAKHANCHI DISTRICT, NEPAL ON 16 FEBRUARY 2014" (PDF). old.tourism.gov.np/downloadsdetail.php?id=10. GOVERNMENT OF NEPAL AIRCRAFT ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION COMMISSION, 2014.
{{cite web}}: External link in|authorlink= - "2014-02-16 Nepal Airlines DHC-6 Twin Otter crash final report out » JACDEC". Retrieved 14 February 2019.
- "Crash: Nepal DHC6 near Khidim on Feb 16th 2014, aircraft impacted terrain". avherald.com. Retrieved 14 February 2019.