Nepal ATR72 Crash Kills At Least 68

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Key Takeaways:

  • A Yeti Airline ATR72 crashed near Pokhara, Nepal's newly opened airport, with at least 68 bodies recovered from the wreckage of the 72 people on board.
  • Video footage suggests the turboprop twin may have stalled and dipped its left wing before crashing into a gorge in clear weather conditions.
  • The accident occurred a mile short of the runway at an airport that had opened less than two weeks prior.
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At least 68 bodies have been recovered from the wreckage of a Yeti Airline ATR72 that crashed a mile short of the runway at a newly opened airport in the resort city of Pokhara, Nepal, on Sunday. Video showed the aircraft possibly stalling and dipping its left wing before the crash. The turboprop twin was on a 27-minute flight from Kathmandu with 68 passengers and four crew. There were 15 foreign nationals among them. The weather was reportedly clear at the time of the crash, just before 11 a.m. local time.

The plane split into several pieces after hitting a gorge. The remaining bodies are expected to be found at the bottom of the gorge. The new airport has been open less than two weeks and airlines are currently transitioning their operations there from the other facility, which is two miles away. The new airport has an 8,200-foot concrete runway with a CAT 1 ILS and will accommodate single-aisle jets.

Russ Niles

Russ Niles is Editor-in-Chief of AVweb. He has been a pilot for 30 years and joined AVweb 22 years ago. He and his wife Marni live in southern British Columbia where they also operate a small winery.
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