Nineteen People Fatally Injured When Dornier Airplane Went Down Just After Takeoff

Nepalese civil aviation officials have released their final report from an accident in Bhaktapur in which a Dornier 228 aircraft went down shortly after takeoff, resulting in the fatal injury of all 19 people on board.

According to the report, the aircraft loading sheet showed the takeoff weight to be four and a half pounds under the maximum allowable takeoff weight, but the weight did not include the baggage that was placed on board the aircraft. The Nepalese CAA estimates that luggage added 154 to 176 pounds  to the weight of the aircraft, according to the online news site ekantipur.com.

According to the report, the stall warning was triggered for nine of the final 11 seconds of the flight, initially when the aircraft was level and decelerating through 71 knots, and then as the aircraft decelerated to 69 knots and began to descend.  It climbed approximately 100 ft before flying level.

The flight crew made an unsuccessful attempt to rotate the aircraft at approximately 70 knots. The aircraft drifted to the left of the runway, probably because the left engine was delivering less power than the right, the report said.

A transcript of communications from air traffic control indicates that the crew had received a warning about a bird on the runway, which the airplane may have hit during its takeoff roll. According to the report, the controller asked, “Any technical,” to which the pilot replied, “Uncertain… bird hit.” Remains of what was determined to be black kite were found 1,338 feet from the Runway Intersection 2.

The plane impacted the bank of the Manohara River 1,378 feet from the Runway 2 threshold.

(Dornier 228 pictured in file photo. Not accident airplane)

FMI: www.caanepal.org.np