CPH-R From Denmark, joined May 2001, 5754 posts, RR: 4 Reply 9, posted (1 year 1 month 6 days 3 hours ago) and read 12001 times:
Quoting RJAF (Reply 8): Amazing that some of the survivors look unscathed!
Danish media have spoken to both of the Danish passengers, who say that they didn't even break any bones. They were seated in the rear of the aircraft, which surely helped their odds.
connies4ever From Canada, joined Feb 2006, 3892 posts, RR: 13 Reply 10, posted (1 year 1 month 6 days 3 hours ago) and read 11847 times:
Quoting abrelosojos (Reply 1): This is so sad. Nepal really needs to do something urgently. It is one of the most dangerous places in aviation. RIP to those affected.
Dangerous yes due to the topography and associated effects on local winds (rapid shifts, downwash off cliffs, etc.) The situation can change rapidly. The weather is an issue with lots of seasonal rain and fog.
Navaids will help but they cost, and installation of navaids will almost certainly impose cost burdens on the operators that they may not be able to reasonably sustain.
British Columbia in Canada, along the coast and Vancouver Island face many of the same problems, and not surprisingly have a higher accident rate than the rest of the country.
sq_ek_freak From United Kingdom, joined Dec 2000, 1594 posts, RR: 21 Reply 11, posted (1 year 1 month 6 days ago) and read 10582 times:
Quoting CPH-R (Reply 9): Danish media have spoken to both of the Danish passengers, who say that they didn't even break any bones. They were seated in the rear of the aircraft, which surely helped their odds.
Well, the flight attendant, who would be seated at the back of the aircraft as well, seems to have survived with minimal injuries as well, so there might be some truth to that...
rfields5421 From United States of America, joined Jul 2007, 6191 posts, RR: 25 Reply 12, posted (1 year 1 month 6 days ago) and read 9796 times:
Quoting RJAF (Reply 8): The pictures of the Do-228 crash looks very much like an unsurvivable violent crash.
There was a saying when I went into the US Navy and started in an aviation squadron - If the wreckage still looks like an airplane, it is usually survivable.
While twisted, the wreckage shown in the first picture in the link in post # 7 doesn't looks like to be a terribly violent crash compared to many I've seen, both pictures and in person, over the years.
Just wild speculation, but it looks like the fuselage may have broken in half at the wings, and the tail section rolling down the hill. That has happened in many crashes in the past, leading to the inaccurate impression that the rear of the aircraft is the safest place to be in a crash.
The article also offers some interesting comments.
Quote: A chartered Agni Air plane en route from Pokhara to Jomsom in Mustang crashed on a hilltop some one nautical mile (1.8 Kms) west of the Jomsom airport on Monday morning, killing15 persons on board
Quote: The plane 9N AIG-D228 (Dornier) had left Pokhara airport at 9:30 am, carrying 18 passengers with three crew members, and crashed fifteen minutes later on the cliff, while it was about to return to Pokhara following technical glitch,
So I'm guessing they were not attempting to land at Jomsom since the runway is 06/24 - an approach would be from a more southerly direction than from the west.
The key question is What was the Technical Glitch?
sq_ek_freak From United Kingdom, joined Dec 2000, 1594 posts, RR: 21 Reply 13, posted (1 year 1 month 5 days 23 hours ago) and read 9294 times:
Quoting rfields5421 (Reply 12): So I'm guessing they were not attempting to land at Jomsom since the runway is 06/24 - an approach would be from a more southerly direction than from the west.
My understanding is that the aircraft was attempting a go around after a warning indicator light turned on on approach into Jomsom. The Hindustan Times is reporting that the aircraft crashed as it was going around, though other reports seem to indicate that the aircraft had already gone around and was enroute back to Pokhara, though the first scenario seems like the accurate one.
Quoting rfields5421 (Reply 12):
The key question is What was the Technical Glitch?
frmrCapCadet From United States of America, joined May 2008, 1510 posts, RR: 1 Reply 14, posted (1 year 1 month 5 days 23 hours ago) and read 9152 times:
I suspect any travel in that part of the country is dangerous. I have wondered about the implication of multiple decision making. Pilots in countries like that may be making dozens of times more crucial decisions more than an ordinary pilot in commercial aviation ever have to make. In a standard jetliner flight the whole point of safety could be stated as avoiding having the pilot having to make crucial decisions. The 320 that dunked into the Hudson river was a case of a sudden out of the ordinary crucial situation. I'm sure the pilot would never ever describe the situation as 'no problem'. We applaud his decision making, but also acknowledge that even so, things could have gone bad.
Buffet: the airline business...has eaten up capital...like..no other (business)
BMI727 From United States of America, joined Feb 2009, 14410 posts, RR: 26 Reply 15, posted (1 year 1 month 5 days 23 hours ago) and read 8992 times:
Quoting abrelosojos (Reply 1): Nepal really needs to do something urgently. It is one of the most dangerous places in aviation. RIP to those affected.
Unless you can alter weather patterns and geography, there's probably only so much that can be done. And flying is probably still either the safest or only option in many of these places.
Why do Aerospace Engineering students have to turn things in on time?
deputydawghere From United States of America, joined Nov 2005, 205 posts, RR: 1 Reply 16, posted (1 year 1 month 5 days 18 hours ago) and read 5489 times:
JAGflyer From Canada, joined Aug 2004, 3328 posts, RR: 4 Reply 17, posted (1 year 1 month 5 days 11 hours ago) and read 2309 times:
Someone wrote a trip report about the Everest mountain scenic flights on Yeti Airlines. Just reading the trip report was scary. I'm sure the view is great but I'd be petrified of being so close to terrain (you are basically flying between mountains and areas of high elevation).
My condolences to those onboard and their families.
Supported the beer and soda can industry, recycle old airplanes!
Profpete From United States of America, joined Jul 2007, 15 posts, RR: 0 Reply 18, posted (1 year 1 month 5 days 10 hours ago) and read 1729 times:
really sad. I took the flight from Jomson to Pokhara last October, probably on this plane (Agni Air/Dornier 228).
turning around in the valley (we took off to the north) seemed incredibly tight with little margin for error.
the wind can be extremely strong also, particularly later in the day.
NASCARAirforce From United States of America, joined Feb 2005, 3099 posts, RR: 5 Reply 19, posted (1 year 1 month 5 days 9 hours ago) and read 1549 times:
When I first read Nepal I was thinking this happened at the Tenzing Hillary Airport there which is rated one of the most if not the most dangerous airport in the world, but this was at a different mountain airstrip in Nepal?
Profpete From United States of America, joined Jul 2007, 15 posts, RR: 0 Reply 20, posted (1 year 1 month 5 days 3 hours ago) and read 1063 times:
Quoting NASCARAirforce (Reply 19): but this was at a different mountain airstrip in Nepal?
yes Jomson is in Western Nepal, close to Annapurna. its at ~ 9000 ft in a deep valley with very high mountains on both sides. its popular with hikers, as well as Indian tourists visiting the nearby Buddhist/Hindu temple at Muktinath.
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