Serious negligence blamed for tragic plane crash

Kathmandu, July 26: In a tragic incident on Wednesday morning, a Saurya Airlines aircraft, which had just taken off from Tribhuvan International Airport en-route to Pokhara, crashed resulting in the tragic death of 18 individuals.  

Captain Manish Ratna Shakya is a lone survivor, though seriously injured and undergoing treatment in hospital.

The aircraft, having ascended from the 02 end (Koteshwor side) of Tribhuvan Airport's runway and accelerating towards the 20 end (Boudha side), veered off course 20 to 22 seconds into the flight. It fell to the right side of the runway, bursting into flames and resulting in almost complete destruction.

It is crucial to note that this Saurya Airlines flight was neither a scheduled passenger service nor a chartered flight. This raises a critical question: if it was not a regular or chartered flight, why were there so many individuals on board, apart from the pilot and technical staff?

Saurya Airlines has stated that the aircraft was en-route to Pokhara for a 'complete check' (C-check), which involves comprehensive maintenance. This situation prompts further question: why were unrelated individuals aboard an aircraft supposed to undergo maintenance?

Aviation regulations clearly stipulate that no one other than technical personnel is permitted on an aircraft headed for maintenance. Saurya Airlines committed a grave error by allowing unrelated individuals on board. However, the Nepal Civil Aviation Authority (CAAN), the sole regulatory body, also failed by turning a blind eye to this breach of protocol, resulting in significant human casualties.

Aviation experts assert that regulators should have verified who was aboard the aircraft heading for maintenance. Had proper checks been conducted, this horrific accident might have been prevented, or at the very least, the scale of human loss could have been mitigated.

CAAN's viewpoint 

Gyanendra Bhul, information officer and deputy manager for the CAAN, confirmed, "We had granted Saurya Airlines permission to conduct a ferry flight for this aircraft to undergo a C-check. Such flights can only carry flight crew and essential technical staff."

A ferry flight is defined as a non-revenue flight operated to reposition an aircraft for maintenance to its destination. According to Bhul, only the captain, co-pilot, and a few necessary technical staff members should have been on board.

The CAAN has affirmed that the Saurya aircraft, registration number 9N-AME, had no technical issues. The aircraft was airworthy until 2025, with 119 flight hours remaining before it required maintenance. Additionally, Saurya Airlines is certified to perform its own maintenance as an MRO (Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul) provider.

Aircraft must undergo a C-check  every 5,000 flight hours, necessitating a ferry flight to the maintenance facility. During such flights, no unrelated passengers, whether with tickets or not, are allowed on board.

This incident exposes severe lapses in adherence to aviation regulations and oversight, which have resulted in a catastrophic loss of lives. 

It underscores urgent need for stricter enforcement of safety protocols and thorough regulatory oversight to prevent such tragedies in the future.

"From now on, we will not ask who else is boarding the flight other than the designated personnel as per the regulations," says the Authority's information officer Bhul. "Because it is not our mandate to question matters not outlined in the rules. The investigation commission will determine whether those who boarded this flight were necessary or not."

Breach of aviation rules 

Former Director General of the Authority and former Secretary of the Ministry of Tourism, Yagya Prasad Gautam, explained that only senior crew members and technicians are allowed on a ferry flight of an aircraft going for maintenance. "The crash of this Saurya Airlines aircraft involves many factors. Allowing unrelated persons to fly alongside the crew and technical team represents serious negligence," Gautam said. "How did the authority grant permission? How did Saurya board unrelated individuals? The investigation commission will surely look into all these matters."

According to a captain with over two and a half decades of experience, both Saurya Airlines and the Authority are to blame equally for this accident.

The rule for a ferry flight stipulates that only the captain, co-pilot (cockpit crew), and at most three to four flight engineers can board. There is no rule allowing air hostesses or stewards (cabin crew) on such flights. "A ferry flight should not carry anyone other than the crew and technical team," said the captain on the condition of anonymity. 

"Allowing unrelated individuals, especially children, on such a flight was a grave mistake by Saurya Airlines. The Authority's mistake is equally grave for not checking it before the flight. The investigation commission must look into both."

This aircraft was scheduled to fly to Pokhara on Wednesday morning and stay there for a month for maintenance.

"It seems that Saurya's staff decided to fly to Pokhara p since the aircraft was supposed to be empty," said the captain. "However, it is evident that Saurya Airlines showed serious negligence by boarding unrelated individuals on a maintenance flight." The captain mentioned that in his experience of flying ferry flights, they never took anyone other than the crew and engineers. He stated that this was a direct violation of aviation regulations.

"It is impossible for a maintenance flight to carry 19 people," he said. "Only Saurya Airlines and the aviation regulatory authority know how this was allowed." 

Another former Director General of the Aviation Authority also stated that carrying so many people on an aircraft meant for maintenance is height of negligence.

"Such significant human loss occurred due to the negligence on part of both the concerned airline and the regulator," he said. "To prevent such incidents from recurring, the regulator and the service provider must be highly vigilant and sensitive."