Passenger plane crashes during landing in Nepal

NEPAL: A turboprop passenger plane of ‘Buddha Air’ overshot the runway during landing in the city of Bhadrapur, Nepal on Saturday, but fortunately there were no casualties in the incident.

According to the airline, there were 51 passengers and four crew members on board the plane and all were safe. The flight had arrived in Bhadrapur from the capital Kathmandu.

According to a statement issued by the airline, flight number 9N-AMF, which is an ATR 72-500 model turboprop aircraft, came to a stop near a drain about 200 meters from the runway during landing. During this, the plane sustained minor damage, however, the passengers were immediately evacuated safely and no one required medical assistance.

Buddha Air said that technical experts and rescue teams were immediately dispatched from Kathmandu to Bhadrapur to inspect the plane and determine the causes of the incident.

Initially, no definitive statement was made about any technical fault or weather conditions, but officials said details would be revealed after a thorough investigation.
The incident has once again raised questions about Nepal’s air safety system, as the country has had several air accidents in the past.

In July 2024, a Bombardier CRJ-200LR plane operated by Surya Airlines crashed shortly after taking off from Kathmandu, killing 18 of the 19 people on board.

Earlier, in January 2023, a Yeti Airlines ATR-72 plane crashed while landing in Pokhara, killing all 72 people on board. Later, an investigation revealed that the accident occurred due to the pilot accidentally shutting down the engine propeller.

Following the recent incident, the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal has also taken note of the situation and is likely to review safety measures and landing procedures.

Experts say that the mountainous geography, limited runways and weather changes make air travel in Nepal more sensitive, so implementing strict safety standards is essential.