Yeti Airlines Flight 103

Infobox Airliner accident
name=2008 Yeti Airlines Flight 103
caption=Sister aircraft 9N-AFD at Lukla

---

date= startdate|2008|10|08|df=yes
type= Under investigation
site=Lukla Airport,
flagicon|Nepal Nepal
origin=Kathmandu, Nepal
destination=Lukla Airport, Nepal
passengers=19
survivors=1
fatalities=18
coords=Coord|27|41|13|N|86|43|47|E|type:airport|display=inline,title|

On 8 October 2008, eighteen people died when Yeti Airlines Flight 103, a De Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter Series 300 registered as 9N-AFE, crashed on final approach to Tenzing-Hillary airport in the eastern Nepal town of Lukla from Kathmandu.

Crash

The airport is the main access to the Mount Everest base camp, and is a notoriously difficult landing, with only 550 m of steeply sloped runway just 20 m wide and an obstructed approach path. [ [http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5h-rQcLcq5G2XM4faqoxeFW5FKC9w "Everest plane crash kills 18 tourists in Nepal"] "AFP" 8 October 2008] The aircraft's wheels were reported to have clipped a fence while landing in fog, causing the plane to crash and burst into flames.

Casualties

Eighteen of the dead were reported to be tourists. Twelve of the passengers on the flight were German and two Australian. The only survivor was Surendra Kunwar, one of the pilots of the plane who was dragged free from the wreckage shortly after the crash and was flown out to Kathmandu for emergency treatment. [ [http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601100&sid=aOdqoHBqlxh0&refer=germany Bloomberg: Nepal Plane Crash Kills 18; Most Were German Tourists] 8 October 2008 ] [Matt Johnston, David Hastie [http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,24467985-661,00.html "Everest plane crash claims Australian couple"] "Herald Sun" 9 October 2008 ] Urs Wildermuth [http://avherald.com/h?article=40df1dd9&opt=1 "Crash: Yeti Airlines DHC6 at Lukla, on October 8th, 2008, crashed on runway"] "Aviation Herald" 8 October 2008 ]

Further reading

References