'The Plane Suddenly Jerked...': What Led to Saurya Airlines' Aircraft CRJ7 Crash

Kathmandu: Saurya Airlines' aircraft CRJ7, carrying 19 people, slipped off the runway and crashed on Wednesday while taking off from the Tribhuvan International Airport. The bodies of 18 individuals have been recovered from the wreckage. Fortunately, the pilot survived the crash and was taken to Kathmandu Medical College Hospital for treatment. According to an unnamed doctor at the hospital, the pilot has eye injuries but is not in critical condition. The plane was en route from Kathmandu to the resort town of Pokhara.

How Did The Crash Happen?

Eyewitnesses at the scene informed that the plane took off from the southern end of the runway before suddenly jerking and striking the ground with its wing. Following the impact, the aircraft caught fire and subsequently crashed on the eastern side of the runway. “The plane took off from the southern end of the runway but suddenly jerked, causing its wing to hit the ground. It then caught fire and crashed on the eastern side of the runway, between the Buddha Air hangar and the radar station”, an Eyewitness told Republic.  

It fell between the Buddha Air hangar and the radar station. Tribhuvan International Airport, the main airport in Nepal for international and domestic flights, has been closed as emergency crew worked.

Video Captures Crash

A video has emerged capturing the moment Saurya Airlines' flight crashed at Tribhuvan Airport in Kathmandu. The footage showed the aircraft burning intensely after skidding off the runway.

Meanwhile, local media images showed smoke rising and plane wreckage scattered all over a ditch. A fire has been brought under control.  

Saurya Airlines operates the Bombardier CRJ 200 on domestic routes. In 2019, a Bangladeshi airliner crashed at Tribhuvan airport, killing 51 people while 20 on board survived. An investigation confirmed the plane was misaligned with the runway and its pilot was disoriented and tried to land in “sheer desperation” when the plane crashed. In 2015, a Turkish Airlines jet landing in dense fog skidded off a slippery runway at the airport. The plane was carrying 238 people but there were no serious injuries.