40 helicopter crashes have claimed 85 lives in past 45 years

KATHMANDU: Air Dynasty’s helicopter crash in Nuwakot on Wednesday, which claimed five lives, was the 40th accident involving rotary aircraft in the country’s aviation history.

Twenty of these accidents were fatal and claimed 85 lives, data compiled by the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal shows. Seventy-seven were rescued alive from these accidents.

Nepal recorded the first accident of a rotary-wing aircraft on December 27, 1979, when an Allouette-III helicopter on a VVIP flight crashed in the Langtang region, resulting in six deaths.

No helicopter accidents were reported for the next 14 years.

In 1993, a Bell-206 aircraft of Himalayan Helicopter crashed in Langtang. But no casualty was reported. An Mi-17 helicopter of Nepal Airways crashed in Sotang in 1996 with no casualty reported.

Nepal saw two chopper accidents in 1997. Although there was no casualty in Gorkha Airlines’ MI-17 crash in Kalikot, one person died when Karnali Air’s AS 350 helicopter crashed in Thuptencholing of Solukhumbu.

Two helicopter accidents were recorded in 1998 with Asia Airlines’ AS 350B crash in Mulkharka resulting in three deaths.

Four persons died in a Fishtail Air AS 350B helicopter crash in Rara Lake in 2001.

Similarly, two persons died when Simrik Air’s MI-17 aircraft crashed in the Everest Base Camp in 2003.

In 2005, three persons died when an AS-350BA helicopter of Air Dynasty crashed in Those of Ramechhap.

Shree Airlines’ MI-17 crash in 2006 was the biggest air crash involving rotary-wing aircraft in terms of casualty in Nepal’s aviation history. A total of 24 passengers, including prominent conservation activists, died in the crash in Ghunsa of Taplejung in 2006.

Although no air crash was recorded in 2007, Nepal saw one helicopter crash in each of the next four years resulting in three deaths.

Fishtail Air suffered four accidents between 2010 and 2014 resulting in four deaths.

Likewise,  Mountain Helicopter’s AS 350B3 helicopter crash in Yamuna Danda of Sindhupalchowk in 2015 resulted in the loss of four lives.

Similarly, four lives were lost when an AS 350B2 helicopter of Fishtail Air crashed in Madanpur of Nuwakot in 2016.

Four accidents involving rotary-wing aircraft were recorded in 2018. Two of them caused loss of lives. One person died in Manang Air’s helicopter crash in Hilsa of Humla, while six died in Altitude Air’s AS350 B3 crash in Dhading.

Seven persons, including the sitting tourism minister, died when Air Dynasty’s AS 350B3e chopper crashed near the Pathibhara temple area in Taplejung in 2019.

Likewise, one person died when Simrik Air’s AS 350B3e chopper crashed in Sankhuwasabha in 2023. In the same year, six persons died when Manang Air’s AS 350 B3e aircraft crashed in the Lamjura Pass of Solukhumbu.