Investigators are looking to find the cause of the crash of a Tara Air de Havilland DHC-6 Twin Otter. The twin-engine plane was carrying passengers from Pokhara to Jomsom, a tourist destination popular with hikers and climbers. The flight normally takes just 20 minutes, compared to a six-plus hour car trip on narrow mountain roads.
The plane crashed in mountainous terrain near Jomsom at an altitude of around 14,000 feet in bad weather. The airport at Jomsom is at 9,000 feet msl. Skilled mountaineers were called on to do much of the search duties, as the terrain at the site is steep and rugged.
Searchers have found all 22 bodies, including three crewmembers and 19 passengers, and just this morning, they reported recovering the airplane’s flight recorders. According to the New York Times, of the 19 passengers who perished, 13 were Nepalis travelling between the two cities, four were Indian nationals and two were German hikers. One of the passengers killed in the crash was an Indian PhD candidate at Colorado State University.
Flying to mountainous destinations, many at very high altitude with difficult approaches and short gravel runways, Tara Air pilots face some of the most challenging flying routes in the world. The airline, according to one report, has suffered three fatal accidents in the past 12 years.
