ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 319651
| Date: | Wednesday 16 May 2018 |
| Time: | 06:45 |
| Type: |  Cessna 208B Grand Caravan |
| Owner/operator: | Makalu Air |
| Registration: | 9N-AJU |
| MSN: | 208B0770 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1999 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 15757 hours |
| Cycles: | 31540 flights |
| Engine model: | Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-114A |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed, written off |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Bahun Khark -
 Nepal
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Cargo |
| Departure airport: | Surkhet Airport (SKH/VNSK) |
| Simikot Airport (IMK/VNST) | |
| Investigating agency: | Nepal AAIC |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
A Cessna 208B Grand Caravan, operated by Makalu Air, impacted a mountainside at an altitude of 12,800 feet near Simikot, Nepal. Both crew members suffered fatal injuries.
The aircraft took off from Surkhet at 06:12 hours local time on a domestic cargo flight to Simikot, where it was scheduled arrive at 06:55. En route the flight crew received pilot reports from two other flights heading into Simikot. High clouds were reported and the pilot of a Dornier advised the crew to descend below the clouds.
The Cessna was left of the planned and continued at the same altitude, entering instrument conditions. The aircraft should have made an immediate right turn for appreciable time and then initiate left turn to follow Karnali River until reaching the base for runway 28 at Simikot, but continued straight ahead. The aircraft crossed Simikot Pass west of the normal crossing point and continued until it impacted a ridge at an altitude of 12800 feet, 7,7 nm (14,2 km) southeast of Simikot Airport.
Probable Cause:
The Commission determines the most probable cause of this accident was to continue the flight despite unfavorable weather conditions resulting inadvertent flight into instrument meteorological conditions and there by deviating from the normal track due to loss of situational awareness that aggravated the spatial disorientation leading to CFIT accident.
Contributing factors
- Possible effect of hypoxia due to flight for prolonged period in high altitude without oxygen supplement.
- Ineffective safety management of the company which prevented the organization from identifying and correcting latent deficiencies in risk management and inadequacies in pilot training.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
thehimalayantimes.com
Hemant Arjyal
kathmandupost.ekantipur.com
History of this aircraft
Other occurrences involving this aircraft
| 2 December 2012 | 9N-AJU | Goma Air | 0 | Dolpa Airport (DOP/VNDP) | |
min |
| 27 May 2013 | 9N-AJU | Goma Air | 0 | Simikot Airport (IMK) | |
sub |
Location
Images:
photo (c) Nepal AAIC; Bahun Khark; 16 May 2018
photo (c) Nepal AAIC; Bahun Khark; 16 May 2018
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
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