The crashed Yeti Airlines (ATR-72 aircraft) was previously used by the now-defunct Kingfisher Airlines owned by liquor baron Vijay Mallya. The 9N-ANC aircraft was delivered to Kingfisher Airlines in 2007. Six years later, it was bought by Thailand’s Nok Air. Then in 2019, it was bought by Nepal's Yeti Airlines, as per Cirium Fleets data, which tracks aircraft fleet, equipment and its cost.
The agency also said, the aircraft was managed by lessor Investec Bank, and owned by KF Turbo Leasing. It was the first instance that an ATR-72 aircraft met with an accident in Nepal’s chequered aviation history.
On Sunday, the plane took off from Kathmandu's Tribhuvan International Airport at 10:33 am 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 have died and four people are still missing. There were 15 foreigners, including five Indian nationals on the plane.
The incident was noted to be Nepal's worst aviation tragedy in over three decades.
As per experts, mishandling, malfunctioning of an aircraft system or pilot fatigue could be among the factors that caused the deadly plane crash in Nepal. However, the exact reasons that led to the accident will be known only after a detailed investigation. The black box of the aircraft was recovered from the accident site on Monday
An aircraft accident investigator told PTI that the nose of the aircraft slightly went up and the wings drooped to the left side before the crash happened, and there could have been a stall.
The ATR-72 is a twin-engine turboprop, short-haul regional airliner developed in France and Italy by aircraft manufacturer ATR, which 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.
(With inputs from agencies)
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