A private plane in Nepal crashed shortly after taking off from the Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu on Wednesday. In the incident, 18 people onboard were killed and the pilot, the only survivor, was seriously injured. The plane flying from Kathmandu to Pokhara turned in the wrong direction.
Nepal has been criticised for its poor air safety record in recent years. But reasons for plane crashes also include partly sudden weather changes and partly airstrips located in hard-to-access rocky terrains apart from human error. In January last year, all 72 people on board, including five Indians, were killed when a Yeti Airlines aircraft crashed in the resort city of Pokhara. The crash was attributed to a human error.
According to Nepal's civil aviation body, 914 people have died in air crashes in the country since the first disaster was recorded in August 1955. But why does Nepal witness frequent airplane crashes?
The first reason is Nepal's geographical challenges. According to the safety report of Nepal's Civil Aviation Authority, Nepal's mountains and narrow valleys are a big challenge for pilots.
The second reason is Nepal's weather - Rain and fog are common in Nepal, which makes landing and takeoff of planes dangerous.
Natural challenges are not the only reason for plane crashes in Nepal. A major reason for this is also the lack of technology in Nepal. Most of the planes of Nepali Airlines are old and second-hand, which have outdated systems installed.
Despite being old, the lack of maintenance of planes is also a big problem which poses a safety risk. Apart from this, a big reason is also the lack of pilots. This lack is so big that inexperienced pilots are allowed to fly planes, which increases the risk of accidents.
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