The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) has attributed the recent Air Dynasty helicopter crash to pilot error. This preliminary finding was shared by CAAN’s Director General, Engineer Pradeep Adhikari, during a meeting of the International Relations and Tourism Committee of the Federal Parliament’s House of Representatives on Thursday.
Adhikari stated that the detailed investigation will be conducted by a government-formed probe committee, but initial reports indicate that the crash occurred because the helicopter entered an area with poor weather conditions, which was not permitted under Visual Flight Rules (VFR).
He emphasized that the helicopter violated VFR regulations by flying into clouds or areas with limited visibility, actions that are strictly prohibited. “The crew is deemed responsible for this violation,” Adhikari asserted.
Adhikari explained, “As soon as we lost contact with the tower, we followed standard procedures to initiate the search. Despite the challenging weather conditions at the time, we identified the crash site and immediately deployed helicopters for the search operation. Given that a government investigation commission has already been formed to determine the root cause, I won’t delve further into the specifics.”
He added, “This morning, we visited the site along with the Honorable Minister and Secretary. While the detailed cause will be confirmed by the investigation commission, preliminary observations suggest that the helicopter crashed while making a left turn to return, after entering cloud cover in violation of VFR regulations. Entering clouds or flying in conditions with poor visibility is prohibited by law, and our investigation points to this VFR violation as the cause of the crash.”
The tragic accident, which occurred on Wednesday, August 7 (23rd of Shrawan), resulted in the deaths of five people, including four Chinese nationals.
