As Yeti aircraft crash jolts Nepal, here's a list of country's major plane crashes

A plane carrying 68 passengers and four crew members crashed in Nepal's Pokhara Sunday morning. The 72-seater aircraft was a Yeti Airlines ATR 72 flight. The aircraft took off from Nepal capital Kathmandu and crashed at the runway at Pokhara International Airport in Nepal. A rescue operation is underway. Nepal Prime Minister Pushpa Kumar Dahal has called an emergency meeting of the cabinet. 

This was the second big plane crash in Nepal in eight months and the eighth crash in the last three decades. Here is a list of fatal plane crashes in Nepal:  

Tara Air Flight 197 crash - May 2022

In May 2022, Tara Air flight 197, which had gone missing, was found crashed on a mountain in Nepal. The bodies of 22 people aboard were recovered following the tragic incident.  The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal, the country’s aviation regulator, said the wreckage of the plane was found at Sano Sware Bhir in Thasang of Mustang in Nepal. As per reports, the passengers included four Indian and two German nationals along with three crew members. 

US-Bangla airlines - 2018

In 2018, a flight carrying 71 people from Dhaka in Bangladesh caught fire as it landed in Nepal capital Kathmandu. According to the BBC, the fatal plane crash killed 51 people. Initially, it was reported that poor communication with air traffic control led to the tragedy. However, Nepal's Accident Investigation Commission later revealed that the captain of the US-Bangla Airlines flight BS211 was “emotionally disturbed and distressed”. Reports of the pilot smoking in the cockpit also emerged following the tragedy.  

Sita Air flight 601 - 2012

In September 2012, Sita Air Flight 601, a Nepalese domestic passenger flight which was operated by Sita Air crashed near the Nepal capital, while attempting an emergency landing shortly after takeoff. The tragic incident led to the death of 19 peopleon board. The final report published by Nepal's Aircraft Accident Investigation Commission (NAICC) stated that a thrust reduction occurred during the takeoff roll, which may have contributed to the plane crash, however, the agency was unable to determine an anomaly that could have directly led to the tragedy. 

Tara air crash - 2010 

In December 2010, a DHC-6 Twin Otter passenger aircraft, another plane of Tara Air crashed shortly after the takeoff. Local reports claimed that around 22 people who were on board died in the accident. According to the then Deputy Inspector General (DIG) at Tribhuvan International Airport, the incident happened after the plane collided with the plunge Hill in the Okhaldhunga district. The wreckage was found in the Bilandu forest near the village of Shreechaur. 

Helpline Numbers 

The Indian Embassy in Nepal released helpline numbers after five Indians died in the Yeti Airlines plane crash on Sunday in Pokhra. 
Helplines of Embassy:
I) Kathmandu: Shri Diwakar Sharma:+977-9851107021 
 
II) Pokhara: Lt Col Shashank Tripathi: +977-9856037699
 
The Indian embassy is in touch with the Nepalese authorities and is reviewing the situation.