2024 Saurya Airlines Bombardier CRJ200 Crash

On 24 July 2024, a Bombardier CRJ200LR operated by Saurya Airlines, as a repositioning flight, crashed shortly after take-off from Kathmandu's Tribhuvan International Airport, killing 18 out of 19 people on board. The aircraft was being ferried to Pokhara with mainly airline technical staff for a base maintenance check.

Aircraft

The aircraft involved was a Bombardier CRJ200LR, registered as 9N-AME with manufacturer serial number 7772. It was manufactured in 2003 and powered by two General Electric CF34-3B1 engines. The aircraft was first delivered to Atlantic Coast Airlines and then entered into service with Saurya Airlines, then known as Kuber Airlines, in 2017.

In the months leading up to the accident, the aircraft underwent several maintenance events, including a survey inspection on March 13, 2024, for the renewal of its Certificate of Airworthiness, with the main landing gear's Time Between Overhauls (TBO) due on April 17, 2024. The TBO was extended until June 19, 2024. On April 26, 2024, a Flight Release Certificate was issued, allowing a test flight to renew the expired airworthiness certificate. After the TBO extension expired, the aircraft was grounded and sent to short-term storage. On July 24, 2024, the aircraft underwent a Return to Service check before being cleared for the ferry flight to Pokhara.

Passengers and crew

The plane was carrying two crew and according to some sources, 14 technicians employed to conduct routine maintenance on the aircraft. One of the passengers on the flight was a child, while another was the wife of an airline staff member, who was also on board. They were all traveling to Pokhara for vacation, but it remains unclear why they were allowed to board a non-revenue ferry flight.

The captain of the flight, 35-year-old Manish Shakya, had an airline transport pilot licence (ATPL) and had 6,186 flight hours in total, 4,992 of which on the CRJ-200. The first officer, 26-year-old Sushant Katuwal, had a commercial pilot licence (CPL) and he had 1,824 flight hours in total, 1,602 of which on the CRJ-200. A third crew member was serving as a supernumerary personal, Yemeni engineer Aref Reda.

Accident

The aircraft had been parked in a remote parking bay for 34 days prior to the accident. A return-to-service inspection was conducted on the morning of the flight. According to the load and trim sheet provided by the company, the take-off weight was calculated as 18,132 kilograms. The decision speed (V₁), rotation speed (V_R), and takeoff safety speed (V₂) were determined to be 114, 118, and 125 knots, respectively.

At 11:04:35 Nepal Standard Time (NPT, UTC+05:45), the pilots initiated taxi to the runway 02/20. The aircraft entered runway 02, backtracked and began the take-off roll at 11:10:34 NPT. Immediately after takeoff, the aircraft rolled to the right, then sharply banked to the left, followed by another right roll, before the right wingtip struck the ground. One airport official reported hearing "cracking noises" emanating from the aircraft just before the crash. This impact triggered a fire, and the fuselage of the aircraft slid into a 130-foot gorge located east of the runway, between an aircraft hangar and a radar station. The firefighters arrived on the scene one minute after the impact. Footage of the incident showed firefighters extinguishing the blaze while attempting to rescue survivors. Civil aviation officials later reported that the cockpit was separated from the main fuselage by a freight container just before the main body struck the ground. The cockpit became lodged in the container, while the rest of the aircraft continued to slide further down the gorge.

The latest METAR report indicated a visibility of 8 km, with few clouds at 1,000 feet, and scattered clouds at 3000 feet above ground level. However, the ''Associated Press'' reported that visibility was low across Kathmandu at the time of the accident.

Out of the 19 people on board, 18 people were killed in the crash. The captain was the only survivor and was transported to Kathmandu Medical College with non-life-threatening injuries.

Aftermath

Tribhuvan International Airport was temporarily shut down following the disaster, and domestic flights at various airports were halted. Saurya Airlines suspended all flights following the accident.

Several political figures, including Prime Minister K. P. Sharma Oli, Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak, Civil Aviation Minister Badri Pandey and Chairman of the State Affairs Committee Ram Hari Khatiwada, visited the crash site while the rescue operations were still ongoing, and offered their condolences. The presence of high profile government officials was widely criticized by the public due to concerns about interference with rescue operations, security and logistical challenges, and the perception of political exploitation.

Later that same day, Prime Minister Oli called for an emergency cabinet meeting. During the meeting, it was decided to establish a five-member commission to investigate the crash, in accordance with the Aircraft Accident Investigation Regulation of 2014. The government also declared that the national flag would be flown at half-mast the following day in honor of the crash victims.

Three passengers survived the impact but died later in the hospital. The bodies of the victims were taken to the Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital in Kathmandu for autopsies. The captain was rescued "within five minutes of the crash," and received head and facial injuries, and fractured bones in his back.

Investigation

Both flight recorders of the aircraft were recovered from the crash site and were sent to the Transport Safety Investigation Bureau of Singapore for analysis, under supervision of Nepal's Aircraft Accident Investigation Commission (AAIC) and with representatives from Transportation Safety Board of Canada and the National Transportation Safety Board of the United States.

Preliminary report

On 5 September, the AAIC released the preliminary report on the crash. Based on data from the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder, the aircraft rotated excessively during takeoff at 11:10:55 NPT, briefly pitching up at a rate of 8.6° per second. The aircraft reached a maximum height of just above ground level at 11:11:03 NPT seven seconds before the right wingtip impacted the ground. The stick shaker activated multiple times within an eight-second timespan between 11:10:58 and 11:11:04 NPT.

The preliminary report also highlighted oversights at the airline that were deemed critical. The report revealed how Saurya Airlines was not complying with the proper procedures for loading aircraft, including properly weighing and securing loads. The V speeds calculated for the flight, and those recorded in the flight data recorder (FDR) differed significantly from the values listed in the Quick Reference Handbook.

See also

* List of accidents and incidents involving commercial aircraft
* List of airplane accidents in Nepal
* List of sole survivors of aviation accidents and incidents
* Yeti Airlines Flight 691
* Pakistan International Airlines Flight 268

Notes

References

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