Small plane with 21 people on board missing in Nepal

KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) — A small plane with 21 people on board and flying in poor visibility over mountainous terrain in Nepal on Wednesday has gone missing and feared to have crashed, officials said.

Airport official Yogendra Kuwar said the plane was on an 18-minute flight Wednesday, but lost contact after takeoff. He said there were no landing strips between the two airports the plane was flying between and it is believed to have crashed.

Helicopters were searching the route more than two hours after the plane was to have landed, but poor weather conditions are making that difficult, he said.

The plane had taken off from Pokhara, a resort town 200 kilometers (125 miles) west of Kathmandu, and was heading north to Jomsom, which is the starting point for trekkers going into mountainous areas.

The Twin Otter aircraft was operated by domestic Tara airlines.


-- (c) Associated Press 2016-02-24

I hope there is a small miracle and there are no fatalities.

It was a Twotter apparently

Reputation for great reliabilty

possibly overloaded?

Just have to wait and see...........

KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) - Wreckage of missing plane found in Nepal mountains; all 23 aboard confirmed dead.

Been on that flight myself in reverse direction.

Probably not possible to complete the Annapurna Circuit this time of the year. So if you want to see the magnificent mountains in that area, you either have to trek 6 days and backtrack same or fly. There is now a jeepable road I believe, but don't know if its all season.

Everyone would have been so excited to begin their trek back to Pokhara.

How very sad. RIP.

Been on that flight myself in reverse direction.

Probably not possible to complete the Annapurna Circuit this time of the year. So if you want to see the magnificent mountains in that area, you either have to trek 6 days and backtrack same or fly. There is now a jeepable road I believe, but don't know if its all season.

Everyone would have been so excited to begin their trek back to Pokhara.

How very sad. RIP.

RIP for the deceased.

i have been on that area for some time too. did Anapurna route but god, it was hard!

road from Pokhara to Jomsom is open now all i know but yeah it takes a lot of time.

I saw Annapurna in comfort....on a flight from Kazakhstan to Bangkok

Also did the trek in Nov 1980, flew from Pokara to Jomson as it was late in the season and I did'nt want to get lost in a snowstorm...just me, 2 goats, some chickens and a local resident in a small twin engine craft and a little baksheesh to the pilot. Runway was just a dirt track back then. It was a very rough ride and the pilot tried 3 times to land but was blow off and we had to return. He said it was not unusual as the wind conditions were often bad. Too bad as I wanted the downhill route but had to do the uphill trek...

Sorry to hear about the crash... that's a lot of people in one plane in those conditions but not surprised... RIP...

Edited February 24, 201610 yr by arend

I did the Annapurna Circuit last year and it was one of the greatest experiences of my life; was in Pokhara when three days later the earthquake hit, so I'm especially sorry to hear more bad news coming from what is truly a beautiful country to visit.

RIP to the deceased. What a way to go...

It was a Twotter apparently

Reputation for great reliabilty

possibly overloaded?

Just have to wait and see...........

Twotters are indeed a rare bird... But this ones a downed bird for sure... Pilots usually only take enough fuel to get from A to B ( plus safety margin), so if lost due to bad weather, in that terrain, it means a crash landing, at best.

Hopefully I'm wrong, but unfortunately terrain of that type claims a lot of airplanes, as a mountain suddenly appears in front of the pilot... And that's all she wrote

Fingers crossed for a better sounding headline on the morrow.

How easily it is to be in the wrong place at the wrong time....and what dire consequences.

Our charmed lives are just a breath of wind in the air....but for now, enjoy what you have.

Also did the trek in Nov 1980, flew from Pokara to Jomson as it was late in the season and I did'nt want to get lost in a snowstorm...just me, 2 goats, some chickens and a local resident in a small twin engine craft and a little baksheesh to the pilot. Runway was just a dirt track back then. It was a very rough ride and the pilot tried 3 times to land but was blow off and we had to return. He said it was not unusual as the wind conditions were often bad. Too bad as I wanted the downhill route but had to do the uphill trek...

Sorry to hear about the crash... that's a lot of people in one plane in those conditions but not surprised... RIP...

I might also add that our route was pretty unique. We actually flew in a spiral in order to gain the altitude necessary... it wasn't the linear distance that was significant but the vertical distance we had to travel that was. But, perhaps planes are stronger today and can fly more directly...

A factory-new Twin Otter with less than 300 hours on it apparently.

Well that's amazing

Sadly most probably CFIT

Poor people

Sad news for all involved.

Great aircraft, challenging environment.