ASN Aircraft accident Cessna 208B Grand Caravan 9N-AJU Bahun Khark
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Status:Accident investigation report completed and information captured
Date:Wednesday 16 May 2018
Time:06:45
Type:Silhouette image of generic C208 model; specific model in this crash may look slightly different
Cessna 208B Grand Caravan
Operator:Makalu Air
Registration: 9N-AJU
MSN: 208B0770
First flight: 1999
Total airframe hrs:15757
Cycles:31540
Engines: 1 Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-114A
Crew:Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2
Passengers:Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 0
Total:Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2
Aircraft damage: Destroyed
Aircraft fate: Written off (damaged beyond repair)
Location:Bahun Khark (   Nepal)
Crash site elevation: 3901 m (12799 feet) amsl
Phase: En route (ENR)
Nature:Cargo
Departure airport:Surkhet Airport (SKH/VNSK), Nepal
Destination airport:Simikot Airport (IMK/VNST), Nepal
Narrative:
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:

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:

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Investigating agency: AAIC Nepal
Status: Investigation completed
Duration: 1 year and 8 months
Accident number: final report
Download report: Final report

Classification:
Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT) - Mountain

Sources:
» thehimalayantimes.com
» Hemant Arjyal
» kathmandupost.ekantipur.com


Photos

photo of Cessna-208B-Grand-Caravan-9N-AJU
accident date: 16-05-2018
type: Cessna 208B Grand Caravan
registration: 9N-AJU
photo of Cessna-208B-Grand-Caravan-9N-AJU
 

Map
This map shows the airport of departure and the intended destination of the flight. The line between the airports does not display the exact flight path.
Distance from Surkhet Airport to Simikot Airport as the crow flies is 154 km (96 miles).
Accident location: Exact; as reported in the official accident report.

This information is not presented as the Flight Safety Foundation or the Aviation Safety Network’s opinion as to the cause of the accident. It is preliminary and is based on the facts as they are known at this time.
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