Tara Air Flight 193

The DHC-6 Twin Otter was a Series 400 version built in 2012 by Viking Air with manufacturer's serial number 926.{{cite web |title=Aircraft Registration Database Lookup |url=http://www.airframes.org/reg/cguvt |publisher=Airframes.org |access-date=24 February 2016}} In September 2015, it was delivered to Tara Air and registered 9N-AHH.{{cite web|last=Ranter|first=Harro|title=ASN Aircraft accident Viking Air DHC-6 Twin Otter 400 9N-AHH Dana, Myagdi district|url=https://asn.flightsafety.org/asndb/320126|access-date=24 February 2016|website=Aviation Safety Network|publisher=Flight Safety Foundation}}{{cite web |title=2016-02-24 Tara Air Twin Otter crashed in Myagdi District, Nepal |publisher=JACDEC |url=http://www.jacdec.de/2016/02/24/2016-02-24-tara-air-twin-otter-missing-in-myagdi-district-nepal/ |access-date=24 February 2016}}

Of the 20 passengers on board, 18{{spnd}}including 2 children{{cite web |title=23 confirmed dead in Myagdi plane crash |url=https://thehimalayantimes.com/nepal/23-confirmed-dead-in-myagdi-plane-crash/ |website=The Himalayan Times |date=24 February 2016 |access-date=24 February 2016}}{{spnd}} were from Nepal, one was from Hong Kong, and another was from Kuwait.{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-35647929 |title=Nepal small passenger plane wreckage found |date=24 February 2016 |access-date=24 February 2016 |publisher=BBC News}}

{{Location map many

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The aircraft took off from Pokhara at 7:50{{nbsp}}am local time. The normal flight duration on the route is 18{{nbsp}}minutes. The control tower officers at Pokhara lost contact with the aircraft 10{{nbsp}}minutes after takeoff; the wreckage was found at Tirkhe Dhunga, Dana VDC of Myagdi district at 1:25{{nbsp}}pm by a police team deployed from Dana Police Post. Tara Air reported that the weather at both origin and destination airports was favourable.

During the flight, the co-pilot acted as the Pilot Flying and the captain as Pilot Monitoring. En route, the flight deviated to the left and climbed to {{convert|12000|ft|0}} to avoid clouds. Over the Ghorepani area, the Ground Proximity Warning System (GPWS) began to sound. The aircraft was flying through clouds with a little visibility between clouds. A descent to {{convert|10000|ft|0}} was initiated and at {{convert|10200|ft|0}} the GPWS sounded again, but the captain responded not to worry about it. The captain was accustomed to hearing GPWS warnings in normal flight, so it became a habit to disregard the warnings. About one minute before the accident the captain took over control and initiated a climb. The aircraft impacted a mountainside at {{convert|10700|ft|0}} and came to a rest at {{convert|10982|ft|0}} near Dana village, Myagdi district. Aviation Safety Network gives the probable cause as a loss of situational awareness when entering clouds while flying under Visual Flight Rules (VFR).[https://asn.flightsafety.org/asndb/320126 Aviation Safety Network. 24 Feb 2016] Retrieved 15 August 2016

Helicopters were used to search the route for hours, but rescue efforts were slowed down by poor weather conditions, including dense fog and heavy rain.{{cite web |title=Nepal plane crash: Tara Air plane goes down, 23 feared dead |date=24 February 2016 |url=http://www.cnn.com/2016/02/24/asia/nepal-missing-plane/index.html |publisher=CNN |access-date=24 February 2016}} The wreckage was found burning after impacting a mountainside, with charred bodies visible inside.{{cite web |title=Nepal plane crash: All 23 on board killed as Tara Air flight crashes into Himalayan mountain |url=http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/nepal-plane-crash-all-23-board-killed-tara-air-flight-crashes-into-himalayan-mountain-1545699 |website=International Business Times UK |date=24 February 2016 |access-date=24 February 2016}} Bishwa Raj Khadka, the district Chief of Police,{{cite web |title=Missing Tara Air plane found crashed in Myagdi (UPDATE) |url=http://setopati.net/society/12021/Missing-Tara-Air-plane-found-crashed-in-Myagdi/ |work=Setopati |access-date=24 February 2016 |archive-date=24 February 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160224190135/http://setopati.net/society/12021/Missing-Tara-Air-plane-found-crashed-in-Myagdi/ |url-status=dead }} stated that personnel involved in the rescue operations had recovered 17 bodies from the crash site.{{cite web |title=All 23 onboard Tara Air dead, 17 bodies recovered |url=http://kathmandupost.ekantipur.com/news/2016-02-24/all-23-onboard-tara-air-dead-17-bodies-recovered.html |work=The Kathmandu Post |access-date=24 February 2016}} Ukrainian traveler and TV presenter Dmytro Komarov, together with the team of the program "The Upside Down World" ({{langx|uk|Світ Навиворіт}}) also took part in the search operation.

A commission was formed to investigate the crash. The wreckage was found spread about 200 meters ({{convert|200|m|disp=out|abbr=off}}){{cite web |title=Chances of finding Tara Air passengers alive slim: Nepal Army |url=http://kathmandupost.ekantipur.com/news/2016-02-24/tara-air-missing-plane-found-crashed-in-myagdi.html |work=The Kathmandu Post |access-date=24 February 2016}} in Solighopte, Myagdi District, Dhaulagiri Zone.{{cite web |title=Wreckage of plane carrying 23 people found in Nepal |work=The Guardian |date=24 February 2016 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/feb/24/plane-crashes-in-nepal-killing-all-23-on-board}}{{cite web |title=Missing Nepal Tara Air passenger plane 'found crashed in jungle' |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/missing-nepal-tara-air-passenger-plane-found-crashed-in-jungle-amid-fears-all-on-board-are-dead-a6892696.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220526/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/missing-nepal-tara-air-passenger-plane-found-crashed-in-jungle-amid-fears-all-on-board-are-dead-a6892696.html |archive-date=26 May 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |website=The Independent |date=24 February 2016 |access-date=24 February 2016}}

The final accident report, 17 months later, read: "The Commission concludes that the probable cause of this accident was the fact that despite unfavourable weather conditions, the crew's repeated decision to enter into cloud during VFR flight and their deviation from the normal track due to loss of situational awareness aggravated by spatial disorientation leading to CFIT accident."{{cite report|url=https://www.tourism.gov.np//files/publication_files/Final%20for%20publication_Tara%20Air_pdf_1502009096.pdf|title=Final Report of 9N-AHH Aircraft Accident|publisher=Government of Nepal|access-date=14 August 2018}}

• Prinair Flight 277
• Tara Air Flight 197

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{{Aviation accidents and incidents in 2016}}

{{Aviation accidents and incidents in Nepal}}

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Category:Accidents and incidents involving the de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter

Category:Aviation accidents and incidents in 2016

Category:Aviation accidents and incidents in Nepal

Category:February 2016 in Asia

Category:2016 disasters in Nepal

Category:Tara Air accidents and incidents