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2024 Saurya Airlines Bombardier CRJ200 crash

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2024 Saurya Airlines Bombardier CRJ200 crash
9N-AME, the aircraft involved in the accident, seen in 2017
Accident
Date24 July 2024 (2024-07-24)
SummaryCrashed shortly after take-off, under investigation
SiteTribhuvan International Airport, Kathmandu, Nepal
Aircraft
Aircraft typeBombardier CRJ200
OperatorSaurya Airlines
Registration9N-AME[1]
Flight originTribhuvan International Airport, Kathmandu, Nepal
DestinationPokhara International Airport, Gandaki Province, Nepal
Occupants19
Passengers17
Crew2
Fatalities18
Injuries1
Survivors1

On 24 July 2024, a Bombardier CRJ200ER operated by Saurya Airlines crashed shortly after take-off at Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu, Nepal, killing 18 out of 19 people on board.[2][3]

Aircraft

The aircraft involved was a Bombardier CRJ200ER, with manufacturer serial number 7772, registered as 9N-AME, that was built by Bombardier Aviation in 2003.[1]

The plane intended to fly from Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu to Pokhara, and was carrying two flight crew members and 17 technicians employed to conduct routine maintenance on the aircraft.[2] Saurya Airlines said that maintenance on the aircraft was scheduled for 25 July.[4]

Accident

Smoke rising from the crash site

The crash occurred on 24 July 2024 around 11:15 NPT shortly after the aircraft took off.[4] The plane lifted only slightly above the runway before it rolled onto its side and crashed. Footage and eyewitness accounts indicated that the plane took off from the runway's southern end, made a sharp bank and fell, its wing tip striking the ground first. The plane caught fire on impact and skidded into a gorge east of the runway between an aircraft hangar and a radar station.[5] Footage of the incident showed firefighters putting out the blaze while attempting to rescue survivors.[2] According to the civil aviation minister, Badri Pandey, the cockpit was severed from the main fuselage by a freight container just before the main body impacted the ground. The cockpit became embedded in the container while the rest of the aircraft was carried further down the gorge.[6]

Eighteen people were killed in the crash, including one citizen from Yemen.[7][8][9] The captain, Manish Shakya, was the only survivor of the crash, and was taken to Kathmandu Medical College Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.[4][10][11] The first officer was identified as Sushant Katuwal.[12][13]

There was low visibility in Kathmandu at the time of the accident.[11] One airport official reported that "cracking noises" seemed to come from the plane prior to the crash.[4]

Passengers and crew

Nationality Passengers Crew Total
Nepali 16 2 18
Yemeni 1 0 1
Total 17 2 19

Aftermath

Tribhuvan International Airport was temporarily shut down following the disaster.[2] The bodies of the victims were taken to the Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital in Kathmandu for autopsies.[11] The captain said he was rescued "within five minutes of the crash," and received head and facial injuries, and fractured bones in his back.[6]

Investigation

The head of Tribhuvan International Airport said that initial investigations showed that the aircraft turned towards the wrong direction shortly after takeoff.[4]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "18 dead as plane crashes in Kathmandu, pilot survives, taken to hospital". India Today. 2024-07-24. Retrieved 2024-07-24.
  2. ^ a b c d "At least 18 dead in Nepal plane crash, officials say". Reuters. 24 July 2024. Retrieved 24 July 2024.
  3. ^ Hradecky, Simon (2024-07-24). "Crash: Saurya CRJ2 near Kathmandu on Jul 24 2024, rolled right and lost height after take off". The Aviation Herald. Retrieved 2024-07-24.
  4. ^ a b c d e "Pilot only survivor of fatal Nepal plane crash". BBC. Retrieved 2024-07-24.
  5. ^ "Saurya Airlines aircraft crashes during takeoff in Kathmandu". Kathmandu Post. Retrieved 2024-07-24.
  6. ^ a b Bennett, Tom; Dahal, Ashok (25 July 2024). "Pilot survived Nepal crash after cockpit split from plane". BBC News. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
  7. ^ "Nepal: Plane crashes in Kathmandu with 19 on board". DW. Retrieved 2024-07-24.
  8. ^ "List of passengers of crashed Saurya Airlines". The Rising Nepali. Retrieved 2024-07-24.
  9. ^ "Saurya Airlines plane crash: One among 18 dead victims identified as Yemeni national". The Rising Nepal. Retrieved 2024-07-24.
  10. ^ "VIDEO: Nepal Plane Crash: Moment when flight with 19 people onboard crashed at Kathmandu airport captured". WION. 2024-07-24. Retrieved 2024-07-24.
  11. ^ a b c "Plane crashes just after takeoff from Nepal's capital, killing 18 people. Pilot is lone survivor". Associated Press. 2024-07-24. Retrieved 2024-07-24.
  12. ^ "List of passengers of crashed Saurya Airlines". The Rising Nepal. Retrieved 2024-07-24.
  13. ^ "Saurya Airlines plane crash: One among 18 dead victims identified as Yemeni national". The Rising Nepal. Retrieved 2024-07-24.