According to Indian media on the 16th local time, citing local officials in Nepal, the black box of the Nepal Snowman Airlines crash flight has been found.
On January 15, local time, a passenger plane carrying 72 people in Nepal crashed while flying from Kathmandu to Pokhara. According to the latest reports, 68 bodies have been recovered.
The footage in the cabin before the Nepalese plane crash was exposed, and the cabin suddenly shook violently, and it fell into a sea of fire after the crash.
Experts on Nepal's crash: It happened suddenly
Weather and trek causes are basically ruled out, and attention should be paid to the technical status of the aircraft
It was Nepal's worst aviation accident in 30 years. After learning of the crash, the Chinese Embassy in Nepal immediately activated the emergency response mechanism and learned about the situation from all sides. It was verified that there were no Chinese nationals on board the crashed plane.
According to reports, the crashed passenger plane is 15 years old, the model is ATR72-500, which is manufactured by ATR Aircraft Manufacturing Company, a joint venture between France and Italy. Yeti Air took over the operation of the aircraft in 2019, having previously operated flights by Kingfisher Air in India and Nok Air in Thailand.
Wang Yanan, editor-in-chief of "Aviation Knowledge" and aviation expert at Beihang University, told Red Star News that ATR aircraft have the characteristics of low cost and cheap operating expenses, and many (scale) small airlines are willing to use this model. Wang Yanan added that in plain areas or areas where the terrain is not too complex and weather data is relatively rich, the operating effect of this model should be good. However, he also pointed out that given the particularly complex mountainous terrain in Nepal, aircraft often need to travel through the mountains, and the climate change is also very violent, the requirements for aircraft in the region should be very strict, "if you want to ensure that small aircraft such as ATR operate in such a national security, it is difficult."
Nepalese rescuers gather at the crash site of the plane according to the overseas network
Wang Yanan analyzed that from the search and rescue situation at the scene, the situation is very unoptimistic. But what is more valuable is that in the moments before the plane crashed, there was external and internal video streaming, which shows that the situation happened very suddenly. According to reports, one of the passengers on the plane was broadcasting live on social platforms at the time, recording the footage in the cabin before the plane crashed. As can be seen from the circulating video, everything was normal before the incident, the plane tilted to the right very suddenly, and then the video playback interface turned into an orange-red fire.
Wang Yanan analyzed that from the video circulating inside the cabin, the passengers maintained a very normal mood during the final time of the crash, which shows that they did not realize the danger. And the flight personnel did not report any abnormalities in the flight, which shows that everything was still normal at that time.
It can also be seen from the video taken from the outside that the change in the aircraft is very sudden. "It can be seen that the plane was originally in the process of level flight, and then approached the ground, and everything was unusual. But suddenly the right wing began to rise, and the plane quickly rolled to the left, followed by a rapidly increased depression angle of the nose, and rushed directly to the ground in a left-leaning attitude. Wang Yanan explained that from the sudden elevation of the right wing, the aircraft followed into a large angle dive, it may be that the power system is abnormal, "whether the left engine is working normally may also need to be paid attention to." Wang Yanan further mentioned that whether the control surfaces of the left and right wings are faulty also needs attention. "If the control surface fails, the pilot cannot operate the balance of the left and right wings." He explained.
In addition, Wang Yanan also analyzed that in the process of aircraft crossing from high altitude to low altitude, whether there is ice formation problem in the body and control surface also needs to be investigated. He explained that icing can also disrupt the aircraft's control performance. He added that it cannot be ruled out whether the pilot has misoperated and lost control of the aircraft.
Wang Yanan added that in the civil aviation system, Nepal's aircraft accident rate is relatively high. But previously, the main causes of accidents were route planning problems and weather problems, such as bad weather or air treks hitting mountains. "However, in this accident, the two factors of bad weather and trek can basically be ruled out, and the focus should be on the technical state of the aircraft." He explained that the weather at the scene was good, and the plane was already very close to the airport, and there were no mountains around, and even the population could already be seen. "In this case, it should be easier for the pilot to locate the route and target."
One of the passengers on the plane was live streaming on social platforms at the time, recording video screenshots of the cabin before the plane crashed
Behind Nepal Airlines accidents:
The terrain is very demanding for aircraft, but the support conditions are limited
In the past 30 years, there have been about 27 fatal plane crashes in Nepal. Of these, more than 20 have occurred in the last decade. At least 309 people have been killed in plane or helicopter crashes in Nepal since 2000. The analysis believes that the complex terrain and lack of infrastructure construction are important reasons for the frequent occurrence of aviation accidents in the country. It is reported that 8 of the 14 tallest mountains in the world are located in Nepal. Most of Nepal's airports are built between mountains and have complex terrain.
Wang Yanan believes that on the one hand, in view of Nepal's topography and climate change and other factors, its requirements for aircraft are very strict, and if necessary, it may also need to consider the introduction of some pure jet passenger aircraft. On the other hand, pure jet airliners are more suitable for a flight range of 1,000 to 3,000 kilometers, but Nepal is too small, and such a flight range is on the long side.
When asked if there might be a problem with the aircraft's 15-year age, Wang Yanan explained that under normal circumstances, the service life of the aircraft is about 30 years, and 15 years old is equivalent to "just passing middle age, not an unusable aircraft." He explained that in fact, the age of the aircraft is not a problem, the problem lies in the guarantee conditions and the related maintenance system. Wang Yanan believes that Nepal may need to focus on route planning, aircraft safety maintenance and the establishment of advanced air traffic control systems in the future, "Nepal's guarantee conditions and the technical level of company operation are still lacking compared with developed countries." ”
Female co-pilot who died in a Nepalese air crash:
The husband died in another air crash
According to Nepalese media reports, the co-pilot of the passenger plane is a female pilot named Anju, 17 years ago after her pilot husband died in a plane crash, she chose to become a pilot, continue her husband's dream, she is about to become a captain after the flight, but in her last flight as a co-pilot, only 10 seconds away from landing, the plane accidentally crashed, embarrassing.
Photo of Anju on the plane (Credit: Lokaantar)
According to Nepalese media outlet Lokaantar, Anju's husband was a co-pilot for Yeti Air. On 21 June 2006, her husband's plane crashed at Gyumla airport, killing nine people on board, including hers. After her husband's death, Anju decided to become a pilot.
About 4 years later, after completing his pilot course from the United States and returning to Nepal, it took only a year for Anju to join Yeti Air as a co-pilot.
According to India Today, Anju has accumulated a wealth of driving experience in the past 10 years and has successfully landed at almost all airports in Nepal.
On the morning of the 15th, she flew the ATR-72 passenger plane with her coach. This is Anju's last flight as a co-pilot, and if the plane lands smoothly, she will receive her captain's license.
That morning, 18 minutes after taking off from Kathmandu, the plane was already very close to Pokhara Airport. It may only take 10 seconds for Anju's airliner to land safely.
However, an accident happened, and the airliner crashed in the river valley. Anju's last flight as co-pilot became the last flight of her life.
After Anju's accident, one of her relatives said it was a shameful coincidence that the couple, both working as pilots, crashed while working at the same airline.
Anju had a 22-year-old daughter, who was 6 years old when her husband died. After Anju became a pilot, he remarried a man with a business background in Kathmandu and had a son, who is 7 years old.
According to his relatives, Anju's daughter lost her father at a young age, and now Anju's son has lost his mother at a young age, which is really sad.
Source丨CCTV Finance
Editor丨Cong Tianyi
Responsible editor丨Zhang Yixin
Review丨 Feng Huan