On 31 March 1975, a Pilatus PC-6 Porter (registration number 9N-AAZ, and serial number 727),[2] operated by Royal Nepal Airlines crashed in Nepal en route from Tribhuvan International Airport to Phaplu Airport on a domestic charter flight. The flight was chartered by Sir Edmund Hillary to bring his wife Louise and daughter Belinda to Phaplu, where he was building a hospital.[3] The plane crashed shortly after takeoff.[4]
.jpg) A Pilatus PC-6 Porter, similar to the aircraft involved in the accident | |
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | 31 March 1975 |
| Summary | Controlled flight into terrain |
| Site | Boudhanath, Kathmandu Nepal[1] |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Pilatus PC-6 Porter |
| Operator | Royal Nepal Airlines |
| Registration | 9N-AAZ |
| Flight origin | Tribhuvan International Airport, Kathmandu, Nepal |
| Destination | Phaplu Airport, Phaplu, Nepal |
| Passengers | 4 |
| Crew | 1 |
| Survivors | 0 |
Aircraft
editThe aircraft involved in the crash was a Pilatus PC-6 Porter operated by Royal Nepal Airlines. It was delivered to Royal Nepal Airlines in 1971.[5]
Crew and passengers
editAll occupants on board died in the crash; they included the pilot Peter Shand, Sir Edmund Hillary's wife Louise and daughter Belinda, the family's dog and two Sherpa friends of the family.[4][6]
Accident
editThe flight was a chartered flight, that took off from Tribhuvan International Airport at or before 7:30 a.m. NPT for its flight to Phaplu Airport. The aircraft took off on runway 20 in a southern direction, but the pilot directly asked for permission to land.[7] The aircraft turned towards the right but was unable to make a landing, crashing into a ditch behind the northern end of the runway.[3]
Aftermath
editIn her biography Keeper of the Mountains, Elizabeth Hawley describes that the pilot Peter Shand did not do a walk-around,[3] failing to see that an aileron was still fixed by a ground lock pin, because he was late to the airport and this caused the accident.[7]
The Nepali Times reported that the pilot was hired by Royal Nepal Airlines despite losing his previous job due to "carelessness".[8]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Aviation Safety Report 2019" (PDF). Kathmandu: Civil Aviation Authority Nepal. p. 33. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
- ^ "S/N 727". Pilatus Porter History. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
- ^ a b c McDonald, Bernadette; Hillary, Sir Edmund (October 2012). Keeper of the Mountains. RMB. p. 113. ISBN 978-1927330159.
- ^ a b "Hillary's Kin Killed In Nepal Plane Crash". The New York Times. 1 April 1975. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
- ^ "S/N 727". Pilatus Porter History. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
- ^ Dillon, Michael (23 May 2003). "Sherpa Hillary". Nepali Times. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
- ^ a b Gill, Michael (24 September 2014). "'Dishevelled' pilot who caused Hillary tragedy should have been barred". Stuff. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
- ^ Dixit, Kunda (18 July 2019). "Highs and lows of Sir Ed". Nepali Times. Retrieved 30 May 2020.