Nepal, another air crash.
According to surging news reports, this past weekend, a civilian passenger plane in Nepal crashed, killing all 72 people on board, which is also the worst air disaster suffered by Nepal in nearly 30 years.
The scene of an air crash in Nepal
From the accounts of local residents, you can imagine how horrific the disaster site was, "the plane fell in half, half fell on the hillside, half fell into the canyon, and there were debris scattered everywhere."
On the day of the incident, the plane was flying from Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal, to Pokhara. Pokhara is the gateway to the "Annapurna Loop" and is loved by mountaineering adventurers all over the world. In this accident, there were 15 foreign tourists, from 7 different countries, who did not know if they came to hike the Himalayas.
The model of the crashed aircraft was the ATR-72, an improvement over the previous ATR-42 and could carry up to 70 passengers. The airline that the crashed plane belonged to was Nepalese aviation giant Yeti Air, and as the name suggests, their plane sails in the snow all year round and contracts more than half of Nepal's domestic routes.
The scene of an air crash in Nepal
The preliminary cause of the crash has been announced, it was a fire in the air caused by technical problems, and the specific cause needs further investigation. It is worth mentioning that according to Nepalese Civil Aviation Authority officials, the plane crash had nothing to do with the weather.
This is quite unexpected, as Nepal, one of the most complex countries in the world, has frequent air accidents all year round. After all, more than half of the world's 14 highest mountains are located in Nepal, and weather and topographic conditions are similar to those on the mainland's Tibetan Plateau.
The scenery of the highlands is beautiful, but it is also really dangerous. Anyone who has been to Tibet knows that the plateau weather is changing rapidly, one second it was still clear sky, and when it came to the next mountain, it immediately became a violent wind and rain, coupled with the clouds and fog on the top of the mountain, poor visibility, which will cause great interference to the aircraft.
An airport in Nepal
In 2008, a Yeti Air plane crashed because of foggy weather with poor visibility, and the plane crashed after hitting a rock. Of the 19 people on board, only the captain miraculously survived.
The snowy mountain plateau brings Nepal not only complex and changeable weather, but also rugged and harsh terrain. In the case of Tenzin-Hillary Airport, in the north of the country, there is only one runway for the entire airport, built between the Himalayas and the cliffs, and neither side is safe.
If the runway is longer, it is good that there is enough buffering time. This runway is only more than 500 meters, and if you want to complete takeoff and landing in such a short distance, you can only rely on the slope. Glide downhill during takeoff, increasing speed with the help of inertia; When landing, go uphill to slow down the landing.
Tenzin-Hillary Airport runway
In theory, it is no problem, but in practice, the professional skills and psychological qualities of the captain are extremely demanding, and the plane rushes downhill when taking off, and if it overshoots, it will fall off a cliff. What's more, the hardware facilities of Tenzin-Hillary Airport are too poor, there is not even radar navigation, and the takeoff and landing all depend on the captain himself to see with his own eyes, and the slightest mistake will cause a catastrophe.
In addition, aging aircraft types can also increase flight hazards. Nepal has an underdeveloped economy and is small, and few airlines have the ability to improve their models. To that end, the EU has even banned Nepalese planes from its airspace, and in case of an accident, the EU has to help clean up the mess.
The climate and terrain cannot be changed, and there is no money to come up, so Nepal Airlines can only pin its hopes on the gods. In 2007, a Royal Nepal Airlines plane malfunctioned and was about to take off, but it could not be repaired. In desperation, the company killed two sheep on the runway of the airport and worshipped them to the Hindu gods.
Topography of Nepal Airport
And guess what? After the sacrifice, the plane was really repaired. In gratitude for the help of the gods, the airline meal on the day of the plane was also replaced with curry lamb.
Many people may not understand, but for a devout country like Nepal, it is common to pray to the gods if there is a problem that cannot be solved by manpower. It is also for this reason that some people call Nepal one of the "happiest countries", on the grounds that people here have faith and are easily spiritually satisfied.
Of course, for adventurous travelers, this danger pales in comparison to the beauty seen during the trip. After all, climbing Mount Everest has a much higher casualty rate than a plane crash. Imagine flying thousands of meters above sea level, with endless horizons and snow-covered Himalayas.
A great view on a flight from Nepal
But I still have to remind everyone that although the scenery is magnificent, the price of life is higher. Only by living well can you have the opportunity to see all the great rivers and mountains.