EDITORIAL: Strengthen rules. Buddha Air Beech 1900D, 9N-AEK, Flight U4-103. Kathmandu, Nepal.

Another tragedy hit the country Sunday. Buddha Air plane (9N-AEK 1900D) that was en route a mountain flight crashed at Kotdanda of Lalitpur. All 19 persons on board are reportedly dead. Those killed in the crash include 10 Indians, two US nationals, one Japanese, three Nepalis along with three Nepali crew members including Captain JB Tamrakar, Co-captain Padma Adhikari and air hostess Asmita Shrestha. Thirty-six-year-old Niranjan Karmacharya who was rescued alive succumbed to his injuries while being rushed to B & B Hospital, Gwarko, for treatment. The aircraft, which lost all communication with traffic control room at around 7:30 Sunday morning, crashed while returning to Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu.

The cause of the crash is believed to be adverse weather conditions. We have seen a number of plane crashes in the past in Nepal, especially in the domestic route, due to poor weather conditions. Last year, we witnessed a disastrous Agni Air crash that killed 14 people. While navigation challenges caused by weather conditions remain a primary cause of such accidents, it is an established fact that our airports lack navigation equipment necessary to neutralize the challenging diversity of weather that prevails along the country´s flight routes. This is aggravated by the commercialization of the aviation sector, due to which pilots are compelled to fly even reluctantly in face of bad climate. Besides the weather factor, past probe reports of air crashes have confirmed that Nepal has weak infrastructure due to which a minor lack of precision can lead to a major crash. Similarly, there is a lack of simulation flight trainings for preparing pilots to conduct flights to rural airports. This is more than needed in a country like ours with difficult terrain. Thirdly, and most shockingly, the country’s aviation laws are said to be not at par with International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) standards. This allows airline operators to get away with operating procedures below ICAO norms. Although Nepal is an ICAO member, it does not have the laws requiring airline operators to stick to ICAO standards.

Meanwhile, the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) has formed a three-member team headed by former CAAN director general Rajeshraj Dali to investigate the crash. The likely outcome of the report will be ‘pilot error’ as has been in most of the past cases. Enough damage has already been done due to negligence and apathy of the authorities. If we continue to turn a blind eye, such fatal incidents will continue to occur giving the country a bad reputation internationally. As it is we have a very bad record of frequent domestic airlines crash. In 2009-10, there were five plane crashes in the domestic sector. While expressing our deepest condolence to the bereaved families, we urge the government to initiate a fair and fast investigation and come up with a long-term aviation safety rules that can help to avert crash like this.

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