Nepal plane crash: Pokhara's airport does not have a navigation system to guide pilots in low-visibility conditions
Yunish Gurung/AP
- Pokhara International Airport does not have a navigation system that guides pilots in low-visibility conditions.
- The airport will not have such a system in place until February 26, the AP reports.
- At least 70 of the 72 people onboard a Yeti Airlines flight died in a crash at the airport on Sunday.
The Yeti Airlines flight that crashed in Nepal was trying to land at an airport that didn't have a navigation system vital for pilots flying in low-visibility conditions, per the Associated Press.
The Pokhara International Airport was not equipped with a functioning instrument landing system, Jagannath Niroula, a spokesperson for Nepal's civil aviation authority, told the AP.
This system helps pilots get to the runway safely when they are unable to see the ground or their surroundings at night, or in cases of bad weather, per the AP.
The airport has not had this navigation system in place since it started operations on January 1, 2023, and it will not have one until February 26, Niroula said.
At least 70 of the 72 people on board the flight died in the crash in Pokhara on Sunday, making it the deadliest plane crash in Nepal in three decades.
The reason for the Yeti Airlines crash has not yet been determined, the AP reported. However, one pilot told the AP that the airport not being properly equipped could have been a "contributory cause" of the crash.
"Flying in Nepal becomes challenging if you don't have navigational aids and puts an extra workload on the pilot whenever they experience problems during a flight," Amit Singh, the founder of India's Safety Matters Foundation, told the AP.
"Lack of an instrument landing system only reaffirms that Nepal's air safety culture is not adequate," he said.
Hassan Shahidi, the president and CEO of the Flight Safety Foundation, told Insider's Matthew Loh that of the last 12 fatal airline accidents in Nepal, 60% involved a controlled flight into terrain, or instances when a plane is flown unintentionally into the ground, a mountain, or a body of water.
"Typically, a controlled flight into terrain is due to the fact that there is nothing wrong with the plane, other than the crew or pilots not being able to see the mountain and its peaks," he told Insider.
Nepal has a reputation for being one of the most unsafe territories for air travel in the world. Airplane crashes in the country have killed 357 people since 2000, according to data from the Aviation Safety Network.
Representatives for Nepal's civil aviation authority did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.