Nepal Airlines skid off the runway

A small domestic aircraft of Nepal Airlines bound for Pokhara skidded off the runway while taking off at Jomsom Airport in Mustang district on Friday.

During the take off from Jomsom Airport Nepal Airlines skidded off the runway and got its wheels stuck in the drain today morning. Normal flights resumed only after the aircraft was pulled over with the help of Nepali Army and Nepal Police personnel. Reports said that the aircraft did not sustain any damages.

All the passengers(18) including the crew members(6) are safe. They have not suffered any trauma or injuries.

Sita Air Crash in Nepal

Nineteen passengers including three crew members were killed after the Dornier Aircraft 9N-AHA of Sita Air crashed just a kilometer far from the Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) in Kathmandu this morning. The plane was en-route to Lukla from TIA, Kathmandu.

The names or nationalities of the victims could not be ascertained immediately, but it is learnt that there were seven Nepali passengers and 12 foreigners. The aircraft crashed near the bank of the Manohara River in Kathmandu within a few minutes of its take off after air controller office of TIA gave a signal.

So far, only the crew members have been identified as pilot Bijay Tandukar, co-pilot Takesi Thapa and air-hostess Ruja Shakya, said Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Jaya Bahadur Chand who is at the crash site.

Staffs of the Sita Air have their saying that the crash may be due to ‘on air fire or it could be struck to a bird’ on air while it was taking a height.

The front part of the aircraft was totally burnt down and only the tail is remaining safe, said SSP Chand. Seven fire engines were deployed to douse off the fire that set ablaze on the plane after crash. Police were currently taking out the bodies of the deceased passengers.

This is the sixth time a Dornier Aircraft has crashed in Nepal. Few months ago, Agni Air took the lives of 15 people at the Jomsom Airport in Mustang district, Nepal. Nowadays, plane crashes have been frequent in Nepal because of increased air traffic, pilot’s faults and bad weather.

May the Departed Soul rest in Peace!!!

Latest Update:
The Sita Air passenger list identifies the Nepali passengers as Mrs MK Tamang, Mr LN Sherpa, Mr D Rai and and Mr Kumar Moktan including pilot Bijay Tandukar, co-pilot Takesi Thapa and flight attendant Ruja Shakya who were the members of the crew.

Nepal Police, on the other hand, identified as the seventh Nepali national as Kumar Moktan. He is said to be a Nepal Army soldier.

The Sita Air identified the seven British passengers as Mr R Eagle, Mr C Davey, Mr V Kelly, Mr D Kelly, Mr T Oakes, Mr S Holdings, Mr B Ogden.

Likewise, four Chinese passengers are identifies as Mr Mingwu Qian, M Lin WU, Ms Zhihua Yang, Ms Chen Yang and 1 American Wu Hui of Chinese origin.

Student Wu Hui, 27, of California, was named among five Chinese dead in the crash, but Sita Air said his passport recovered at the crash site revealed he was an American of Chinese origin.

“One American citizen of Chinese origin was among the 12 foreigners who died in the Sita Air crash,” Sita Air spokesman Deependra Shahi said.

Though the weather was clear in the morning, the pilot had reported some problems to the air controller after two minutes of the take-off, TIA’s General Manager Ratish Chandra Lal Suman said. According to him, the plane probably was trying to get back to the airport before meeting with the fatal accident.

Moreover, the Nepal Police and Nepal Army personnel, and fire brigade rushed to the crash for rescue operation. However, all the people on board the ill-flated plane had already died when the fire was contained. The fire gutted the plane’s body except its rare wing.

 

Most Expensive and Most Powerful Fighter Aircrafts in the World

Here, the fighter aircraft are expensive because of its advanced technology being used as these aircraft are fast and powerful.
To strengthen the military supremacy of the ‘superpowers’, modern and advanced fighter aircraft were developed and modified from time to time. These aircraft were designed primarily for air-to-air combat with other aircraft. These are also capable of ground-attacks. Without these prolific flying machines as weapon, victory in warfare is unattainable.

1. Sukhoi Su-37 ($147.7 million)

The Russian-made Sukhoi Su-37 or Flanker-F (by NATO) is an experimental multi-role jet fighter aircraft is a single seat fighter. It was developed from Su-35. This vessel which is 22.18 meters long was first flown in 1996 by Russian Air Force.

Sukhoi Su-37 has a maximum speed of 1,550 mph. This is one of the most expensive jet fighters in history, as of 1996, it has a jaw-dropping price of $147.7 million. Only 2 units were built. It is equipped with GSh-30 cannon with 150 rounds.

2. F-22 Raptor ($142.6 million)

The Lockheed Martin/Boeing F-22 Raptor is the most popular and most prolific of all the modern-day jet fighters. This single seat vessel is believed to be the best fighter aircraft in the world. This twin engine 5th generation aircraft which was developed by the US uses stealth technology. F-22 was designed primarily as an air superiority fighter and is capable also of ground attack, electronic warfare and signal intelligence roles. It is claim that no aircraft can matched the F-22 Raptor and is regarded the most outstanding fighter plane ever built.

This 18.9 meter long fighter aircraft costs $142.6 million as of 2009. It has a breathtaking maximum speed of 1,500 mph. It is equipped with M61 A2 Gatling Gun, air-to-ground missiles and others.

3. Mitsubishi F-2 ($108 million)

The Japanese fighter aircraft named Mitsubishi F-2 was jointly manufactured by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Lockheed Martin. This 15.52 meter long multi-role fighter is worth $108 million dollars. Its maximum speed is 2.0 mach.

Weapons included on its armaments include; 20 mm JM61A1 cannon, free fall bombs with GCS-1 IIR seeker heads, anti-ship missiles, air-to-ground weapons and others.

4. Sukhoi Pak FA ($100 million)

The Russian fighter aircraft called Sukhoi PAK FA will be the replacement of Mig-29 Fulcrum and Su-27 Flanker.  It is designed to directly compete with F-22 Raptor and F-35 Lightning II. This stealth multi-role fighter with a length of 22 meters and with a maximum speed of 2.45 mach or 1,615 mph will be introduced in 2013. One thousand units are projected to be built and a unit will cost $100 million.

Its main weapon is a 30mm GSh-30-1 gun and 10 missiles.

5. F-15K Slam Eagle ($100 million)

The F-15K Slam Eagle is an advanced derivative of the F-15E, ordered and being delivered to Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF). One of its many advance features not found on F-15E include; AAS-42 Infrared Search and Track – IRST, Joint Helmet-Mounted Cueing System- JHMCS and advanced AN/APG-63(V01 radar which makes it much more expensive. It can also launch many advanced weapons.

6. Dassault Rafale M ($90.5 million)

The French-made Dassault Rafale is fighter aircraft designed and built by Dassault Aviation. This 15.27 meter long twin-engine delta-wing multirole fighter aircraft used by French Air Force and Navy has also been marketed for export to several countries but has not yet received orders. It cost $90.5 million per unit and can attain a maximum speed of 2.0 mach.

7. Eurofighter Typhoon ($86 million)

The Eurofighter Typhoon, which is operated by British Royal Air Force, German, Italian, Austrian and Spanish Air Forces, is a twin-engine canard-delta wing aircraft. . This multirole fighter aircraft is 15.96 meters in length. It has a maximum speed of 2+ mach or 1,550 mph. It is equipped with laser guided bombs and air-to-air and air-to-surface missiles.

It has a gun, missiles and bombs,

8. F-35 Lightning II ($83 million)

The F-35 Lightning II is a single-seat and single-engine fighter aircraft was manufactured by Lockheed Martin. It is capable of performing close air support, tactical bombing and air defense missions. This 15.67 meter long stealth multirole fighter will be introduced to the US Armed Forces in 2010. It will cost $83 million. It has a maximum speed of 1.67 mach or 1,283 mph.

Some of its weapons include; laser guided bombs, air-to-air and air-to-ground missiles and many more.

9. Dassault Rafale C ($82.3 million)

The French-made Dassault Rafale is fighter aircraft designed and built by Dassault Aviation. This 15.27 meter long twin-engine delta-wing multifold fighter aircraft used by French Air Force and Navy has also been marketed for export to several countries but has not yet received orders. It cost $82.3 million per unit and can attain a maximum speed of 2.0 mach.

Included on its armaments are; air-to-air missiles, air-to-ground nuclear missiles and a 30 mm cannon with 150 rounds.

10. EA-18G Growler ($73 million)

The EA-18G Growler manufactured by Boeing is an American carrier-based electronic warfare aircraft. It is a specialized version of F/A-18F Super Hornet and will be the replacement of the EA-6B Prowler being used by US Navy. Its production started in 2007 and entered operational service in 2009. This $73 million aircraft is 18.31 meter long and can attain a maximum speed of 1.8 mach or 1,190 mph.

It has no gun but it has missiles.

11. Sukhoi Su-35BM ($65 million)

The Russian-made Sukhoi Su-35BM is a long-range and multi-role fighter. It is considered to be 4++ generation fighter first flown in 1998. This heavy class fighter aircraft is quite long compared to other fighter planes at 21.9 meters. It has a maximum speed of 2.25 mach or 1.500 mph.

It is equipped with different types of missiles and different laser-guided bombs.

12. Sukhoi Su-35 ($65 million)

The Sukhoi Su-35 or Flanker-E is a heavy class and multirole fighter used by the Russian Air Force. This 21.9 meter long vessel which was developed from Sukhoi Su-27 is worth $45 to $65 million. This long range fighter can attain a whooping speed of 2.35 mach or 1,553 mph.

This aircraft have weapons such as; 30 mm GSh-30 cannon with 150 rounds, different types of missiles and different types of bombs.

13. Saab Jas 39 Gripen ($61 million)

The Saab JAS 39 Gripen is a Swedish-made lightweight multirole fighter aircraft. It is used by the Swedish, Czech, Hungarian and South African Air Forces. This aircraft which is manufactured by Saab AB may cost between $40 and $61 million. It only has a length of 14.1 meters and has a maximum speed of 2 mach or 1,372 mph. Its name in English is Griffin. It is equipped with laser guided bombs.

It has a 27 mm cannon with 120 rounds, various missiles and bombs.

14. F/A-18E/F Super Hornet ($60.3 million)

The F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, which is manufactured by Boeing, is a carrier-based multirole fighter aircraft. The F/A-18E single-seat variant and F/A-18F tandem-seat variants are larger and more advanced versions of F/A-18 Hornet. This aircraft that is worth $60.3 million has a length of 18.31 meters and can attain a maximum speed of 1.8 mach or 1,190 mph. It is equipped with air-to-air, air-to-surface and anti-ship missiles. Also included on its various armaments are laser-guided missiles.

This aircraft is loaded with missiles and bombs. It also has also a 20 mm M61 Vulcan gatling gun with 578 rounds.

Plane crash kills 15 in Nepal mountains; 6 Rescued

A plane crashed into a mountain in the Himalayas while trying to land at an airport in northern Nepal on Monday, killing 15 people and injuring six, some critically.

It was carrying two pilots and a flight attendant — all Nepalese — along with 16 Indians and two Danish citizens, both of whom survived, officials said.

The plane was turning to land at Jomsom Airport when it crashed, said Laxmi Raj Sharma, chief government administrator in the area.

It broke into pieces but did not catch fire. Sharma said an initial investigation indicated the Dornier aircraft, which belonged to the local Agni Air company, might have had technical problems.

Rescue was swift because the plane crashed just few meters (yards) from an army camp at Jomsom.

The Danish tabloid Ekstra Bladet said it spoke to the Danish passengers by phone at the hospital and identified them as Emilie Joergensen and Andreas Rasch.

“We were thrown around. The seats were unfastened and we were squeezed between seats and bodies,” it quoted Joergensen as saying.

She said they had to climb over “hands and arms” to get out of the plane.

“I think it was easy for us to get out because we sat in the back and were closest to the exit,” Joergensen said.

She said they were on their way to Jomsom where they planned to go trekking.

The Jomsom airport is a gateway to a popular destination for trekkers and for Hindu pilgrims on their way to the revered Muktinath temple. It is about 200 kilometers (125 miles) northwest of Katmandu.

R.I.P.

Once again an Agni Air crashed this morning and it is a big problem to Nepal. There is rise in air accidents because of the carelessness of the crew members, bad weathers as well as Nepal’s Aviation management system. Air Transport, the only best way to travel to hilly/ himalayan regions of Nepal, is degrading and the passengers are not feeling safe to travel though airplanes because of these reasons(plane crashes). Almost 68 airplanes had crashed in the history of Nepal and around 650 passengers are found dead so far. Therefore, the only thing we ask for is ensure the safety of the passengers who travels through airplanes.

Tourists Flight crashes in Nepal; Killing 19 abroad and the condition of Air Traffic in Nepal is degrading.

This incident happened in August, in Bisankunarayan village which is a few miles south of the capital, Kathmandu. A plane which was carrying 19 people including 13 tourists crashed while attempting to land in Nepal. It killed all 19 people on board among them ten were Indians, two Americans, one Japanese, three Nepalese passengers and three crew members. It is said that the plane hit the roof of a house in the village and splited into different pieces, though no casualties were found in the crash on the ground. Eighteen of the passengers were killed instantly, while one died on the way to a hospital. The Beechcraft 1900D plane took the passengers to view Mount Everest, the highest peak of the world, and other peaks on a one-hour “mountain flight” and it was returning to Kathmandu.

The part of the crashed Buddha Airin Bisankunarayan Village

Similarly, last december, a small passenger plane crashed east of Kathmandu killing all twenty-two people. The bad weather condition in mountainous region has created such problems in Nepal. Sometimes, aircraft lose contact with the control tower which is difficult for the pilot to handle the plane in the right way. Moreover, the Air Traffic condition of Nepal is degrading nowadays. The Nepal government should take effective and reliable steps to mitigate the problems that the Air Traffic Control Tower is having nowadays. Otherwise, the deaths of people will rise and those countries who flew their planes to Nepal have to suffer from the mass destruction of air vehicles and also the lives of passengers and crew members.