1975 Royal Nepal Airlines Pilatus PC-6 Porter crash
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.jpg) A Pilatus PC-6 Porter, similar to the aircraft involved in the accident | |
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | 31 March 1975 |
| Summary | Controlled flight into terrain |
| Site | |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Pilatus PC-6 Porter |
| Operator | Royal Nepal Airlines |
| Registration | 9N-AAZ |
| Flight origin | Tribhuvan International Airport, Kathmandu, Nepal |
| Destination | Phaplu Airport, Phaplu, Nepal |
| Passengers | 4 |
| Crew | 1 |
| Fatalities | 5 |
| Injuries | 0 |
| Survivors | 0 |
On 31 March 1975, a Pilatus PC-6 Porter (registration number 9N-AAZ, and serial number 727),[2] operated by Royal Nepal Airlines crashed in Nepal en route from Tribhuvan International Airport to Phaplu Airport on a domestic charter flight. The flight was chartered by Sir Edmund Hillary to bring his wife Louise and daughter Belinda to Phaplu, where he was building a hospital.[3] The plane crashed shortly after takeoff.[4]
The aircraft involved in the crash was a Pilatus PC-6 Porter operated by Royal Nepal Airlines. It was delivered to Royal Nepal Airlines in 1971.[5]
Crew and passengers
All occupants on board died in the crash; they included the pilot Peter Shand, Sir Edmund Hillary's wife Louise and daughter Belinda, two Sherpa friends of the family, and the family's dog.[4][6]
Accident
The flight was a chartered flight, that took off from Tribhuvan International Airport at or before 7:30 a.m. NPT for its flight to Phaplu Airport. The aircraft took off on runway 20 in a southern direction, but the pilot directly asked for permission to land.[7] The aircraft turned towards the right but was unable to make a landing, crashing into a ditch behind the northern end of the runway.[3]