ASN Aircraft accident de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter 300 9N-AET Sanosware
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Status:Accident investigation report completed and information captured
Date:Sunday 29 May 2022
Time:10:10
Type:Silhouette image of generic DHC6 model; specific model in this crash may look slightly different
de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter 300
Operator:Tara Air
Registration: 9N-AET
MSN: 619
First flight: 1979-04-21 (43 years 2 months)
Engines: 2 Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-27
Crew:Fatalities: 3 / Occupants: 3
Passengers:Fatalities: 19 / Occupants: 19
Total:Fatalities: 22 / Occupants: 22
Aircraft damage: Destroyed
Aircraft fate: Written off (damaged beyond repair)
Location:Sanosware (   Nepal)
Crash site elevation: 4420 m (14501 feet) amsl
Phase: En route (ENR)
Nature:Domestic Scheduled Passenger
Departure airport:Pokhara Airport (PKR/VNPK), Nepal
Destination airport:Jomsom Airport (JMO/VNJS), Nepal
Flightnumber:197
Narrative:
Tara Air flight 197, a DHC-6 Twin Otter 300, impacted a mountainside at 14500 feet while on a domestic flight from Pokhara to Jomsom, Nepal. All 22 occupants suffered fatal injuries.
The flight was the first of five daily Tara Air flights from Pokhara to Jomsom, scheduled to depart at 06:15 hours. The flight was delayed because the Lete Pass on the route was covered up with clouds. The Twin Otter finally departed at 09:55, after two aircraft of Summit Air had departed for Jomsom. The flight took off from runway 04 and made a left-hand turn to follow the valley/pass on a heading of about 300°. About 10:06 the flight turned to the north towards Jomsom until it struck the side of a mountain.

Probable Cause:

Probable Cause:
The probable cause of this accident was the flight crew's failure to monitor and maintain the proper course while inadvertently flying in IMC conditions with the aircraft Terrain Avoidance and Warning System [TAWS] inhibited which resulted into a CFIT accident.
Contributing factors:
1. The flight crew's failure to follow the SOP of company
2. The aircraft flight operation with TAWS inhibited during deteriorating en-route weather condition.
3. Loss of situational awareness of crew
4. Deteriorating en-route weather
5. Less experienced copilot for that sector and high crew gradient
6. Poor CRM during the flight
7. The whole cockpit duties [both PF and PM] were undertaken by the PlC, which likely impaired his performance.
8. Underutilization of the available Navigation instruments

Classification:
Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT) - Mountain

Sources:
» kathmandupost.com
» AAIC Press release


Photos

photo of DHC-6-Twin-Otter-300-9N-AET
FlightAware track
 

Video, social media

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 Pokhara Airport to Jomsom Airport as the crow flies is 69 km (43 miles).
Accident location: Approximate; accuracy within a few kilometers.

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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DHC-6 Twin Otter

  • 930+ built
  • 285th loss
  • 183rd fatal accident
  • 6th worst accident
» safety profile

 Nepal
  • 9th worst accident (at the time)
  • 10th worst accident (currently)
» safety profile

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