KATHMANDU: Six people lost their lives in a helicopter crash in the Lamjre Pass of Solukhumbu district on Tuesday morning. An Airbus AS350 B3 helicopter of Manang Air lost contact with the control tower minutes after taking off from Surke helipad below Lukla Airport. Inclement weather conditions have been blamed for the accident.
Two months ago, another helicopter crashed in the neighboring Sankhuwasabha district. On May 5, a Simrik Air helicopter crashed in the Bhotekhala area of Sankhuwasabha, killing one person.
The history of helicopter operations in Nepal dates back to the 1960s when the then Royal Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC) introduced a Bell helicopter into service. Soon after, NAC included Russian-made Mi-4 helicopters in its rotary-wing fleet.
In 63 years of rotary-wing operation, Nepal has witnessed 40 helicopter crashes, claiming 92 lives.
After the reintroduction of democracy in 1990, Nepal opened its skies to the private sector. Alongside fixed-wing operators, rotary-wing operators promoted by the private sector also entered the Nepali aviation scene.
According to the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN), the first helicopter accident in Nepal was recorded on December 27, 1979, when an Alouette III chopper crashed during a Nepalese Royal duty, resulting in the deaths of six people.
On April 27, 1993, a Bell 206 helicopter operated by Himalayan Helicopter crashed in the Langtang region, with no reported casualties.
Three years later, on January 24, 1996, a Mi-17 helicopter operated by Nepal Airways crashed in Sotang, Solukhumbu, with all three on board escaping unscathed.
According to CAAN, an AS 350 helicopter operated by Karnali Air crashed near Thuptencholing in Solukhumbu on September 3, 1997, resulting in one fatality.
A Mi-17 helicopter operated by Gorkha Airlines crashed in Kalikot on December 13, 1997, with no reported casualties.
Likewise, a Bell-206 helicopter under a VVIP flight had an accident in Dipayal on January 4, 1998, also with no reported casualties.
Four months later, on October 4, 1998, three people died when an AS350 B helicopter operated by Asian Airlines crashed at Mulkharka in Okhaldhunga.
On April 30, 1999, an AS350 BA operated by crashed at Lisankhu in Sindhupalchok. One month later, on May 31, 1999, an AS350 B2 operated by Manakamana Air crashed in Ramechhap. Similarly, a Mi-17 helicopter operated by Air Ananya had an accident in Mimi village of Humla on September 11, 20021, with no casualties reported in all three incidents.
According to CAAN, four people, including Princess Prekshya Shah, died when an AS350 B helicopter operated by Fishtail Air crashed in Rara Lake of Mugu on November 12, 2001.
On May 12, 2002, an AS350 B2 operated by Karnali Air crashed at the Makalu Base Camp in Sankhuwasabha district, with no casualties reported. Likewise, on September 30, 2002, a Mi-17 operated by Asian Airlines, with four crew members and seven passengers, went missing en route to Lukla from the Makalu Base Camp. The crash site could only be located after one and a half decades.
According to CAAN, two people died when a Mi-17 operated by Simrik Air crashed at the Everest Base Camp on May 28, 2003. Similarly, an AS350 BA helicopter of Dynasty Heli crashed in Thoso of Ramechhap on January 4, 2005, killing three people on board.
A Mi-17 of Shree Airlines crashed at the Everest Base Camp on June 2, 2005. A year later, on May 7, 2006, a Mi-17 operated by Heli Hansa crashed at Dhaulagiri Base Camp. On August 8, 2006, a Mi-17 of Karnali Air crashed at Tribhuvan International Airport. Similarly, an AS 350 BA of Air Dynasty crashed at Dhaulagiri Base Camp on September 3, 2006, with no casualties reported in these four incidents.
On September 23, 2006, 24 people lost their lives when a Mi-17 operated by Shree Airlines crashed at Ghunsa in Taplejung. This remains the most tragic helicopter accident in Nepali aviation history in terms of fatalities.
On November 23 of the same year, a Simrik Air Mi-17 crashed in Jumla. Similarly, an AS350 helicopter of Fishtail Air crashed at Annapurna Base Camp on June 29, 2008, with no reported casualties in both accidents.
According to CAAN, an AS350 B3 chopper operated by Fishtail Air crashed in the Amadablam Himal region on November 7, 2010, claiming two lives. Another Fishtail Air chopper crashed in Solukhumbu on November 29, 2011, with no reported casualties. Similarly, one person died in a Fishtail Air helicopter accident in Muchu of Humla on June 19, 2013. A ground incident involving Fishtail Air claimed one life in Sindhupalchowk on August 3, 2014.
Four persons lost their lives when an AS350 B3 operated by Mountain Air crashed in Yamuna Danda of Sindhupalchowk on June 2, 2015.
Likewise, a Simrik Air chopper crashed in Samdo of Gorkha on June 22, 2015. Nine months later, on March 17, 2016, a Fishtail Air helicopter crashed in the Langtang region of Rasuwa, with no casualties reported in both accidents.
However, another Fishtail Air crash near Betani of Nuwakot on August 8, 2016, claimed seven lives.
Similarly, a Simrik Air chopper crash-landed on the helipad of Grande International Hospital on June 30, 2018. A Manang Air crash in Hilsa of Humla claimed one life on August 14 of the same year.
All six on board died when an Altitude Air helicopter crashed in Dhading on September 8, 2018. In another accident, a Mountain Helicopter chopper was downwashed by an Air Dynasty helicopter at Lukla Airport on October 22, 2018.
In another incident involving an Air Dynasty chopper, seven persons, including Minister for Culture, Tourism, and Civil Aviation Rabindra Adhikari, died in Tarebhir of Taplejung district on February 27, 2019.
A Manang Air helicopter met with an accident at Lukla Airport on April 14, 2019, with no casualties reported.
On November 29, 2020, a Kailash Air helicopter made an emergency landing near Kakani in Nuwakot after a bird strike, with no casualties reported.
