The Nepalese passenger plane, which crashed into a river gorge on Sunday with 72 people onboard, was previously used by Kingfisher Airlines which was owned by liquor baron Vijay Mallya. Yeti Airlines' 9N-ANC ATR-72 aircraft took off from Kathmandu's Tribhuvan International Airport at 10:33 am on Sunday and crashed on the bank of the Seti River between the old airport and the new airport in Pokhara, minutes before landing.
At least 68 people, including five Indians, were confirmed dead after the mishap. According to Cirium Fleets data, which tracks aircraft fleet, equipment, and its cost, the aircraft was delivered to the now-defunct Kingfisher Airlines in 2007. Six years later in 2013, the aircraft was bought by Thailand's Nok Air, after which it was sold to Nepal's Yeti Airlines in 2019.
It was the first instance that such a model met with an accident in Nepal's chequered aviation history. The ATR-72 is a twin-engine turboprop, short-haul regional airliner developed in France and Italy by aircraft manufacturer ATR. ATR is a joint venture between French aerospace company Aerospatiale and Italian aviation conglomerate Aeritalia.
The number '72' in its name is derived from the aircraft's typical standard seating capacity of 72 passengers. Currently, only Buddha Air and Yeti Airlines employ ATR-72 aircraft in Nepal. Mishandling, malfunctioning of aircraft system or pilot fatigue could be among the factors that caused the deadly plane crash in Nepal, according to pilots and an aircraft accident investigation expert. They said the exact reasons that led to the accident will be known only after a detailed investigation.
Going by the video clips on social media purportedly showing the plane's trajectory seconds before it crashed, it was evident that the sky was clear and the weather was not bad.
(With inputs from PTI)
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