The aircraft, 9N-AEQ, five years prior to the incident (then operated by Skyline Airways)
| |
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | 21 June 2006 |
| Summary | Controlled flight into terrain |
| Site | Jumla Airport, Nepal |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | De Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter |
| Operator | Yeti Airlines |
| Registration | 9N-AEQ |
| Flight origin | Nepalgunj Airport, Nepalgunj |
| Stopover | Surkhet Airport, Surkhet/Birendranagar |
| Destination | Jumla Airport, Jumla |
| Passengers | 6 |
| Crew | 3 |
| Fatalities | 9 |
| Survivors | 0 |
On 21 June 2006, when approaching Jumla Airport, Nepal, a Yeti Airlines DHC-6 Twin Otter crashed into the ground after the crew decided to abort the landing and perform a go-around for an unknown reason. Eyewitnesses said that the plane appeared to have stalled while making a tight turn on the threshold of runway 27 and ploughed into the ground in a ball of fire on the eastern edge of the runway.[1][2]
The aircraft involved in the crash was a de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter operated by Yeti Airlines. Its maiden flight was in 1980 and first in service with Lesotho Airways. The aircraft was purchased by Yeti Airlines one year prior to the accident from another Nepalese carrier, Skyline Airways.[3] It was the third incident of this aircraft operated by Yeti Airlines and was one of four Twin Otters in the airline's fleet.[4][5]
Six passengers and three crew members were on board the aircraft. All occupants on board died in the crash. The cockpit crew members were identified as Captain Krishna Malla and co-pilot Dipak Pokhrel.[2] Pokhrel's wife, Anju Khatiwada, also died in an air crash 16 years later. She was the co-pilot of the ill-fated Yeti Airlines Flight 691 in January 2023. Her husband's death had inspired her to take up a career in aviation.[6]
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Aviation accidents and incidents in 2006 (2006)
| |
|---|---|
Jan 19 Mar 31 TEAM Linhas Aéreas Flight 6865 Apr 10 May 3 Jun 3 Jun 21 Jul 9 Jul 10 Jul 28 Aug 9 Transatlantic aircraft bombing plot Aug 13 Aug 22 Aug 27 Sep 1 Sep 2 Sep 11 Sep 23 Sep 29 Gol Transportes Aéreos Flight 1907 Oct 3 Oct 10 Oct 11 New York City Cirrus SR20 crash Oct 26 Swedish Coast Guard C-212 crash Oct 28 Continental Airlines Flight 1883 Oct 29 Dec 10 Dec 27 Morecambe Bay helicopter crash | |
