AS 350 Down Near Mt. Everest, 6 Dead

[PHXPhlyer]

Six killed in Nepal helicopter crash near Mount Everest

https://www.cnn.com/2023/07/11/asia/six ... index.html

Six people have died in a helicopter crash in Nepal, a spokesperson for Kathmandu’s Tribhuvan International Airport said Tuesday.

The Manang Air helicopter was carrying five Mexican passengers and a Nepali pilot, Teknath Sitoula told CNN.

Reuters reported that Manang Air caters to tourists wanting a view of Nepal’s peaks, including Mount Everest, the world’s tallest mountain.

It set off from Solukhumbu district, where Everest is situated, at 10:05 a.m. local time (12:20 a.m. ET) on Tuesday, heading for the capital, Kathmandu, according to a statement issued by the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal.

The helicopter lost contact less than 10 minutes later, at 10:13 a.m., and was later found crashed in Solukhumbu’s rural municipality of Likhupike, according to the authority.

It added that locals and police who reached the crash site found the bodies of all on board.

“All six bodies have been located. We are now starting the process to take them to Kathmandu. It will take some time because it means traveling by road from the crash site and then flying to Kathmandu,” Sitoula told CNN.

He added that the cause of the crash has not yet been determined.

Nepal’s inclement weather, low visibility and mountainous topography all contribute to its reputation as notoriously dangerous for aviation.

In January, at least 68 people were killed when an aircraft went down near the city of Pokhara in central Nepal. This was the Himalayan nation’s deadliest plane crash in more than 30 years.

PP

[FD2]

If it was an AS350 then it sounds like yet another case of squashing six seats into what should be space for four seats in a single engined aircraft and thus the temptation to add a fatty or two into the mix. I wonder if the pax were weighed before being loading and if the aircraft weighed less than its performance graphs indicated was safe around the high altitudes of the Everest area. Engines are very reliable these days but flying an over-weight aircraft at high altitudes with no area suitable for an engine out landing would not be sensible. No doubt a serious in-depth investigation will reveal the cause of the crash...

They may be able to get away with disregarding restrictions at low altitudes but this is all high altitude stuff. Then there is what is quoted as a 'poor safety record' in the country to add weight to the argument. The operators will never learn unless the aviation authorities around the world carefully examine these safety aspects and take appropriate action if required.

[G~Man]

If it was an AS350 then it sounds like yet another case of squashing six seats into what should be space for four seats

Standard configuration Astar is 4 pax seats accross the back one in front along with the pilot.

There was ony six on-board and no indication that this aircraft had the Geneva mod for the double pax seat up front.

I agree with the rest.

[PHXPhlyer]

I've ridden in an Astar backseat on GC tour.
Good viz even in the inside seat.
Their birds all had 2 pax seats up front.

PP

[G~Man]

Their birds all had 2 pax seats up front.
PP

So do al the ones in Hawaii, however, I think the Nepal;ese ones only have standard configuration from what I have seen online.

[FD2]

It would certainly be safer to have four in the back and one in the front of the AS350. The only 350s and 355s I flew were private machines and just had the three seats in the back, so confused myself over tourist seating configuration. Still not happy about the double pax seat mod in the front though!

[PHXPhlyer]

The only bad thing about my time in the front seat of the A350 was the fact that the double front seat requires the removal of dual controls.
No stick= No stick time!

PP

[FD2]

I took some passenger flights up from a country fair in Gloucestershire. One of them was a very overweight American who had three cameras, light meter etc strung around his neck and specially requested a front seat ride. The 350 is very manoeuvrable and he was impressed by what we could do in a four or five minute flight - he said it was very like Vietnam - I was glad we'd taken out the duals. Other people on longer charters got to have a go and I was quite relaxed about them flying.

The XO of the ship that where my first flying job was as second pilot - a gunnery officer - decided that the best foothold while climbing out of the Wessex rotors running after a flight spotting fall of shot, was the cyclic. Two hands were needed to hold it against his pushing. It just made me very cautious about who was sitting next to me in the front!