At around 11:00 local time this Sunday (GMT+5:45), Yeti Airlines flight YT 691 crashed on approach to Pokhara International Airport (PKR) after a brief 25-minute flight from Kathmandu (KTM) in Nepal.
According to an airline statement, 68 passengers, 2 pilots and 2 cabin crew were on board. Nepalese aviation authorities confirmed that 15 foreigners were among the passengers, including 5 Indians, 4 Russians, 2 South Koreans, an Argentinean, an Australian, a Frenchman and an Irishman.
At the time of publishing this note, authorities confirmed that more than 40 passengers have died and ruled out finding survivors.
Initial reports indicate that the plane crashed into the Seti Gandaki River, which runs through the city, between the old and the new Pokhara airport. Footage shows the aircraft approaching the new airport and, for reasons still unknown, it crashed to the ground on its left side.
One can only imagine what those on board this plane would have gone through :#nepal #yeti #airlines #atr #pokhra #aircrash #planecrash. 🕉️ 🙏 🙏 pic.twitter.com/lLr45SNaDB
— Tarun Shukla (@shukla_tarun) January 15, 2023
The aircraft is a 15-year-old ATR 72-500, registration 9N-ANC, delivered in 2019 to Yeti Airlines. It previously used to operate for Nok Air (Thailand) and Kingfisher Airlines (India). According to Flightradar24, it was the third flight of the day.
This is the first accident at the new Pokhara International Airport (PKR), which opened just two weeks ago on January 1, 2023.
Yeti Airlines is one of Nepal’s largest carriers, but like the more than a dozen airlines in that country, it is questioned by its accident record. In fact, the European Union has since 2013 banned all Nepali airlines from operating in its airspace under European Commission Regulation No. 474/2006, citing safety concerns.
Yeti along with its subsidiary Tara Airlines have a questionable and consistent accident record since their founding in 1998.
The latest accident occurred in May 2022, when a Tara Twin Otter with 20 passengers and 3 crew disappeared 12 minutes after takeoff. 20 hours later rescuers found its wreckage on a mountainside. There were no survivors.
Through a statement, the aircraft manufacturer, ATR, said it «has been informed that an accident occurred in Nepal involving an ATR 72-500. Our first thoughts are with all the individuals affected by this. The ATR specialists are fully engaged to support both the investigation and the customer».
