One of the world’s leading aviation experts has offered a theory for what caused a regional passenger plane to crash moments before it landed in Nepal, killing at least 68 people.
There were 72 people, including an Australian, aboard the plane when it crashed into a gorge while landing at a newly opened airport in Pokhara, marking Nepal’s deadliest aviation accident in three decades.
Professor Ron Bartsch has suggested an aerodynamic stall may have been behind the tragic incident.
He said an optical illusion may have caused the pilot to believe they were travelling through the air faster than they were, resulting in the plane stalling.
‘That terrain is terribly difficult to fly – very strong winds and high altitude. Normally aircraft don’t just fall out of the sky, particularly modern aircraft.’
‘Aircraft require air to fly in and the air is more rarefied at about 800 metres elevation there,’ Bartsch explained.
‘When you’re going over the grounds, it may appear that you’re going a lot faster over the ground than what you’re going through the air.
‘I’d suggest that the aircraft has entered into an aerodynamic stall…that’s what caused this.’
Bartsch said the area was already very ‘tough’ to fly in due to its difficult terrain and high altitude.
‘Also the runways are very, very challenging. Some of the most challenging in the world,’ he said.
He said it was possible a pilot error could have contributed to the crash, with the investigation to analyse whether there had been ‘proper training’.
‘Aircraft don’t just fall out of the sky,’ he said.
Airport officials have confirmed an Australian was among the 15 foreign nationals on board the domestic flight from Kathmandu, along with five Indians, four Russians, one Irish national, two South Koreans, one French national and an Argentinian.
It’s unknown whether the Australian was killed or is one of the four survivors of the horrific crash.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade told Daily Mail Australia it was ‘urgently seeking to confirm the welfare of the Australian’.
The harrowing video clip of the crash showed the plane making a sharp turn before plummeting to the ground seconds later with a loud thud, following by screams.
Local television showed thick black smoke billowing from the crash site as rescue workers and crowds of people gathered around the wreckage of the aircraft.
The footage, which was purportedly taken by an Indian man called Sonu Jaiswal, shows passengers smiling as the plane flies over houses. The Yeti Airlines logo is visible over Mr Jaiswal’s shoulder and a Nepalese insurance advert can be seen on the airline’s tray.
The clip continues, before the camera suddenly starts to shake and passengers are heard shouting. It then goes black with a loud bang, before flames fill the frame.
‘I saw the plane trembling, moving left and right, and then suddenly its nose dived and it went into the gorge,’ Chhetri told Reuters, adding that local residents took two passengers to a hospital.
There were 72 people on the twin-engine ATR 72 aircraft operated by Yeti in Sunday’s disaster, including two infants and four crew members, said airline spokesman Sudarshan Bartaula.
The plane was 15 years old, according to flight tracking website FlightRadar24.
‘We expect to recover more bodies,’ said army spokesman Krishna Bhandari. ‘The plane has broken into pieces.’
Russian Ambassador to Nepal Alexei Novikov confirmed the death of four Russians aboard the crashed plane.
‘Unfortunately, four citizens of the Russian Federation died. We are in constant contact with the Nepalese authorities and will provide all necessary assistance to the relatives of the dead Russians,’ he said.
A South Korean embassy official said: ‘Two South Koreans are on the list of passengers. We are trying to confirm whether they were actually on board and their identities.’
Nepal’s Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal said he was ‘deeply saddened by the sad and tragic accident.’
Nepalese Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia tweeted condolences.
‘The loss of lives in a tragic plane crash in Nepal is extremely unfortunate. My thoughts & prayers are with the families of the bereaved,’ said the official.
Prime Minister Dahal has called an emergency cabinet meeting after the plane crash, a government statement said.
