Nepal plane crash: Ill-fated aircraft's co-pilot Anju was moments away from becoming Pilot

Anju Khativada, the co-pilot of the ill-fated Yeti Airline ATR-72, was minutes away from realising her dream of becoming a Pilot, when the aircraft, with 72 onboard, crashed in Nepal's Pokhra on Sunday, January 15.

The aircraft, which took off from Kathmandu's Tribhuvan International Airport at 10.33 am, was supposed to be the last of Anju as a co-pilot. Post the successful landing of the aircraft at the Pokhra International Airport, Anju was to be promoted to Pilot. As per the rules, a person needs at least 100 hours of flying experience to become a pilot. 

However, the aircraft, piloted by senior Captain Kamal KC, with Anju as the co-pilot, could not complete the 27-minute-long journey, and crashed into forested land located on the banks of the Seti River that flows between the old domestic airport and Pokhra International Airport. 

There are “no survivors” from the Yeti Airlines plane crash near Nepal’s new Pokhara Airport, authorities said. There were 53 Nepalis, 5 Indians, 4 Russians, 2 Koreans, 1 Irish, 1 Argentinian, 1 Australian, and a French national onboard the aircraft.

Ironically, Anju had lost her husband, who was also a co-pilot, in a similar plane crash 16 years back. Like Anju, her husband who was also working for Yeti Airlines died on June 21, 2006, when aircraft 9N AEQ, which took off from Nepalganj crashed in Jumla. Besides the co-pilot, the pilot, a cabin attendant and six of the nine passengers onboard, also died. 

According to the Aviation Safety database, there have been around 27 fatal plane crashes in Nepal over the past 30 years. Of these, more than 20 have taken place in the last decade.