More news on plane crash in Nepal
AS...@asuacad.bitnet
August 2, 1993
HEADLINE: All eighteen plane crash victims' bodies identified
KATHMANDU, Aug 2 (AFP) - All eighteen bodies recovered by rescue teams
from the area surrounding the wreck of an airliner which slammed into a hill
west of here on Saturday have been identified, a home ministry official said
Monday.
The Dornier aircraft owned by Everest Air, one of three private airlines
operating flights in the Himalayan kingdom, was lying in a deep crevasse on a
steep hill at Chule Ghopte in Tanahu, 150 kilometres (93 miles) west of
Kathmandu, witnesses told Nepalese television.
There were 15 Nepalese nationals and three foreigners aboard the flight,
including the Nepalese pilot Binod Baniya and Indian co-pilot Hamid Rashid.
Police sources said Goro Umezawa, a Japanese civil engineer with the Hajama
Gumi construction company, was identified by his Japanese colleagues in the
presence of Japanese Embassy officials.
The body of T. Toir, a Hungarian killed in the accident, was identified by
the passport found in his shirt pocket.
Meanwhile Everest Air staff said Rashid's remains were handed over to his
wife.
The Nepalese government has constituted a five-member committee to probe
the accident under the chairmanship of chief attorney Prem Bahadur Bista,
officials said Monday. The committee will submit a report in about a month.
On Saturday, airport sources said the plane had taken off from Kathmandu
Airport at 2:29 p.m. (1029 GMT) for Bharatpur, 95 kilometres (60 miles) to the
southwest, a 22-minute flight. It crashed four minutes before its scheduled
landing.
Airport sources also said the pilot had reported at 2.45 p.m. local time,
that everything was working well but soon after contact was lost.
A pilot who flies for the state-run Royal Nepal Airlines Corporation
(RNAC) told AFP that the Non-Directional Beacon (NDB) or radio guidance system
at Bharatpur airport had not been working since last week's heavy flooding.
"The non-functioning of the NDB system at Bharatpur airport seemed to have
led to the air crash," he said, adding "On domestic routes, pilots rely mostly
on visual flight routes and on the NDB to reach their destination."
"Malfunctioning of the NDB recently caused some aircraft to deviate as far
as Bhairahawa, 290 kilometres (181 miles) southwest of Kathmandu, while going
to Bharatpur from Kathmandu, " he said.
The RNAC pilot said the Indian pilot of the ill-fated aircraft might not
have been familiar with Nepal's mountain terrain.
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Copyright 1993 Agence France Presse
August 1, 1993
HEADLINE: Eleven charred bodies recovered at wreckage site
KATHMANDU, Aug 1 (AFP) - Police rescue teams have recovered 11 charred
bodies around the wreck of a domestic airliner which slammed into a hill west of
here killing all 18 people on board, a home ministry official said.
The Dornier aircraft owned by Everest Air, one of three private airlines
operating internal air services in this Himalayan kingdom, was lying in a deep
crevasse on a steep hill at Chule Ghopte in Tanahu, 150 kilometres (93 miles)
west of Kathmandu.
Airport sources said the plane had taken off Saturday from Kathmandu
Airport at 2:29 p.m. (1029 GMT) for Bharatpur, 95 kilometres (60 miles) to the
southwest, carrying 15 passengers and three crew members.
The plane crashed four minutes before its scheduled landing at Bharatpur,
they added.
"The aircraft disintegrated into pieces. Its wings are broken and there is
no chance of any survivors," an rescue helicopter pilot told state-run
television.
"It appears that the aircraft might have hit a hill top and plunged into the
forests. Bodies and clothes of the ill-fated passengers are hanging on tree
tops," he added.
"Some may have fallen as far as 200 feet (60 metres) below the steep
slopes."
The pilot of the aircraft had reported at 2.45 p.m. local time that
everything was working well but contact was lost soon after.
The crew of the aircraft included Nepalese pilot Binod Baniya, Indian co
-pilot H. Rashid and Nepalese stewardess Kabita Basnyet.
Airline sources said a Japanese passenger, identified as 36-year-old Goro
Umezawa, an engineer with the Hajama Gumi construction company and a Hungarian
tourist, T. Toir, were also aboard the aircraft.
The rest of the passengers were reported to be Nepalese nationals, most of
them health ministry employees bound for flood-affected areas, the airline said.
Police and army rescue teams have stored the majority of body parts at
Bharatpur airport for identification while some remains are to be taken to
Kathmandu by army helicopter, officials said.
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The Xinhua General Overseas News Service
The materials in the Xinhua file were compiled by The Xinhua News Agency. These
materials may not be republished without the express written consent of The
Xinhua News Agency.
AUGUST 2, 1993, MONDAY
HEADLINE: government crash inquiry commission established
the nepalese government has decided to form an inquiry commission to
investigate the saturday domestic aircraft crash. the ill-fated everest air
dronier 228 crashed just a few minutes before arriving its destination on
saturday afternoon near tanahu in western nepal by hitting a hill top, killing
all 15 passengers and a crew of three on board. the commission under the
chairmanship of chief attorney prem b. bista with the director-general of the
department of civil aviation as member-secretary will present its investigation
report within three months, according to the civil aviation sources. members of
the commission include the joint-secretaries of the tourism and civil aviation
ministry and the home ministry, as well as brigadier general dr. khagendra
bahadur shrestha.
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Rameshwar Adhikari as...@asuvm.inre.asu.edu
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