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A Saurya Airlines Bombardier CRJ-200 aircraft crashed this morning on takeoff from Tribhuvan International Airport earlier today. 18 of the 19 on board were killed, with the Captain being the only survivor. All of the fatalities were airline employees on this ferry flight from Kathmandu to Pokhara at 11:11am.
The aircraft veered right off runway 2 immediately after takeoff and crashed east of runway 20, with smoke billowing from the wreckage. According to authorities, the plane was carrying 19 airline staff members, including the pilot and copilot. The plane was en route to Pokhara for a complete engine check at the airline maintenance facility.
Pilot Manish Shakya was rescued from the wreckage as the only surviver, with head, eye, and leg injuries. Co-pilot Sushant Katuwal was among those killed in the wreckage.
This latest crash adds to Nepal’s poor air safety record, raising further concerns. Saurya Airlines operates flights to five destinations within Nepal using Bombardier CRJ-200 jets, according to its website. The aircraft involved in today’s crash, built in Montreal, Canada, was over 21 years old and brought to Nepal in 2017. It was scheduled for a routine technical inspection in Pokhara.
“The aircraft was to fly to Pokhara for a technical examination required as per the regular schedule after flying certain hours, not because of any fault,” said Jasoda Subedi, Spokesperson of Pokhara International Airport. “The airline’s employees and technicians were onboard for a regular technical test, parking it at the well-appointed hangar in Pokhara.”
The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) will be heading the accident investigation.
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