On 1 August 1962, a

Douglas DC-3 The Douglas DC-3 is a propeller-driven airliner manufactured by Douglas Aircraft Company, which had a lasting effect on the airline industry in the 1930s to 1940s and World War II. It was developed as a larger, improved 14-bed sleeper version ...

operated by Royal Nepal Airlines crashed in Nepal en route from

Gaucher Airport Tribhuvan International Airport (Nepali language, Nepali: त्रिभुवन अन्तर्राष्ट्रिय विमानस्थल) (, colloquially referred to as TIA) is an international airport located in Kathmandu, B ...

Palam Airport Indira Gandhi International Airport is the primary international airport serving Delhi, the capital of India, and the National Capital Region (India), National Capital Region (NCR). The airport, spread over an area of , is situated in Palam, D ...

on an international scheduled passenger flight. The wreckage of the aircraft, registration ''9N-AAP'', was found near Tulachan Dhuri. All 10 passengers and four crew aboard were killed in the crash. An investigation into the crash was launched by Nepalese authorities after the accident site was located. It was the first aviation accident of an international flight by a Nepali carrier.

Aircraft

The aircraft involved in the crash was a Douglas C-47 Skytrain version of the

operated by Royal Nepal Airlines. Its maiden flight was in 1943 with the United States Air Force Before it was sold to Royal Nepal Airlines in 1962, it was furthermore operated by

Orient Airways Orient Airways Ltd. ( ur, ) was an airline established in 1946 with its base in Calcutta, Bengal, British India. The airline shifted operations to the newly independent state of Pakistan in 1947, and was rechristened as Pakistan International A ...

and Pakistan International Airlines

Crew and Passengers

All occupants on board died in the crash; they included the four crew members and 10 passengers including the Indian ambassador to Nepal. This may a juxtaposition. On a significant authority I have it as the Nepalese ambassador to India.The references don't resolve that difference. The official report by the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal stated that the three man crew was very experienced.

Incident

The flight was a scheduled international flight, that took off from

at 12:21 NPT for its flight to

. There was no weather forecast available in Kathmandu, but the pilots were to get updated in flight. At 13:15 NPT, the last contact was made from Calcutta Air traffic control. After that no more contact could be established to the flight. At the time, it was the worst aviation accident in Nepali history. It was the second accident of this aircraft operated by Royal Nepal Airlines, who were the sole airline operator in Nepal at that time.

Investigation

On 2 August 1962, search and rescue operations were initiated by the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal but only on 9 August 1962, the wreckage of the aircraft could be found near Tulachan Dhuri on a mountain at . The official report listed the cause of the accident as a result "from the fact that the aircraft had drifted off course while flying under instrument meteorological conditions and attempting to reach an altitude at which it would be able to resume operation under visual flight rules" before it collided with a mountain at .The Department lastly suggested to change the flight route between Kathmandu and New Delhi.

Aftermath

Investigating the accident, another Royal Nepal Airlines flight Pilatus PC-6 Porter crashed in

Barse Dhuri The Barse () is a long river in the Aube department in north-east central France. Its source is under the château, in Vendeuvre-sur-Barse. It flows generally west. It is a right tributary of the Seine into which it flows at Saint-Parres-aux- ...

References