Site Jomsom, Manang, Nepal Crew 3 Survivors 21 (all) Number of deaths 0 Destination Jomsom Airport Survivor 21 (all) | Passengers 18 Fatalities 0 Date 16 May 2013 Injuries (nonfatal) 7 Operator Nepal Airlines | |
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Summary Overran the runway on landing, went down a hill and impacted a stone terrace on the bank of Gandaki River nose-first Similar 2013 Goma Compagn, 2013 Siberia Polar Airli, 2013 Soldotna Rediske, Associated Aviation Flight 361, 2013 Loreto Helicópte | ||
Nepal Airlines Flight 555 was a short domestic scheduled flight from Pokhara Airport to Jomsom Airport in Nepal of about 20 minutes' flying time, operated by Nepal Airlines. On 16 May 2013 the de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter aircraft operating the flight crashed while landing at Jomsom Airport. Seven of the twenty-one on board were seriously injured. There were no fatalities, but the aircraft was damaged beyond economic repair.
Contents
According to police, just after the aircraft touched down on the runway it veered towards the right and fell 20 metres (66 ft) down the bank of the Gandaki River. The forward fuselage was destroyed, but the rear of the aircraft remained intact. The left wing was found submerged in the river.
The accident left Nepal Airlines with only two operational aircraft for its domestic flights. The airline said that it planned an engine exchange that would put three more Twin Otters, currently grounded, back in the air, but that process would take at least five months. In the meantime, the airline was expect to suffer a significant loss of market share.
Victims
There were eight Japanese tourists on the flight. All sustained injuries, with four of them in a critical condition according to a police officer. The names of the victims have been released.
Investigation
An investigation will be carried out to determine what caused the accident. According to an official at Tribhuwan International Airport, preliminary reports have shown that windy conditions could have played a part in the crash.