NATIONAL 2 (Spotlight Weekly)]

Tragedy In Dadeldhura

Once again air safety is in the focus following the tragic crash of an RNAC Twin Otter in far western Nepal

By KESHAB POUDEL

The responses from the officials, professional organizations and political parties following the crash of RNAC's Twin Otter en route to Dhangadi from Bajhang last Thursday (July 27) killing all 25 aboard reminded the similar frantic responses during earlier air accidents which are frighteningly becoming a routine affair in the country. All of them repeated the rhetoric about the need to improve air safety measures in the country.

A fleet of RNAC's twin ottor : safty concern.

Quickly responding to the accident, the government set up a high-level inquiry committee under the chairmanship of deputy attorney at the office of Attorney General consisting other experts to probe it. One of the tasks of the committee is to present its report to the Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Authority within 60 days.

With every accident, a judicial commission investigates the incident and puts forth its suggestions. The question is what do the civil aviation officials do with these thickening piles of advises. The irony is that after every report is submitted, it is not circulated to concerned departments. Besides, it is also charged that such probe committees are devoid of technical experts. "Reports prepared by a committee of non technical persons may not always bring out the real problem," said advocate Balram KC, who himself was involved in a committee as senior government attorney to probe the PIA crash.

The investigation methods are also said to be primitive merely focussing on the accident. Modern inquiry system, says an expert, should be based on technicalities like Control Flight Into Terrain (CFIT). Experts say over 80 percent of the world's air accident occur due to CFIT failure -- in Nepal almost all accidents are due to this reason.

In case of the RNAC's Twin Otter crash, the navigation aides was said to be not functioning properly at Dhangadi airport. The navigation aides indicate the location of the airport site and supports aircraft to fly on the proper course.

The key question is how many suggestions of such report is implemented.

"We respond to the report and take necessary suggestions expressed in them," said Rajesh Raj Dali, General Manager of Tribhuwan International Airport. "We have made tremendous improvement in the area of air safety."

Whatever the technical and other lapses reports point out, the tendency is just to throw it inside a drawer never to be looked into again.

"It seems that there is a total insensitivity towards the loss of human life. After a few weeks, it will be only the family members and relatives of the victims who will remember the accident. On the part of officials, they will not learn from the experience. It is taken for granted," said a senior pilot on condition of anonymity.

According to the aviation experts, various critical equipment and navigational aids like the up-to-date instrument landing system are lacking or need proper calibration in Nepal. And this applies to all airports including that in Dhangadi.

As all the smaller airports where operations have been on the increase over the last few years, the facilities remain unchanged. Officials, however, only sees human error.

Association of Commercial Pilots President said that to blame the pilot had become a habit of politicians and officials so as to deflect the attention from their own shortcomings.

"Without even a preliminary investigation, he asked, how had the government jumped to the conclusion that there was pilot error?" he said.

Most accidents, experts argue, were caused by making similar mistakes. Although captain Wangdi Lama of the ill-fated Twin Otter was a very experienced pilot, the nature of accident seemed similar like the Skyline Airways aircraft which crashed at Sukaura VDC of Makwanpur district on 25 December 1999.

The RNAC Twin Otter crashed after it hit the pine trees atop a hill in Dadeldhura district. Before the accident, visibility was said to be very low in the area with dense fogs and clouds hovering in the whole region.

The past experiences have shown that most of the aircraft crashes during the months from June to September as Nepal's most of the STOL (Short Take Off And Landing) aircraft fly on the basis of Visual Flight Rule. In remote areas, facilities are not available for Instrument Flight Rule.

Due to lack of modern system, even a capable pilot can not safely fly the aircraft and every one is repeating similar mistake. "We are flying most sophisticated aircraft but our system is outdated," said a pilot.

Aircraft accidents can be reduced but what is required is to upgrade the navigation system and maintain certain rules and regulations. Many airports have already been declared as all weather airports but the facilities there remain as in the past.

The route like Chainpur of Bajhang, Chaurjahari and Jomsom were seasonal airports and there used to be no flights there during the monsoon season. But now they have uninterrupted service. How has it been possible?

During the monsoon season, there are two options for the pilots either he has to based on Instrument Metrological Condition (IMC) or Visual Metrological Condition (VMC). For safety, the pilot usually follows only one rule. If he wants to fly in through the cloud he has to maintain safe height and has to descend the aircraft only after he can see certain landmarks. "It is always dangerous to fly in and out of cloud and this is usually the cause of accident. It confuses the pilot at times," said a pilot.

Twenty five years ago, aircraft used to fly in VMC following river or road. These days they use global positioning system where an aircraft flies under the control of instruments.

"As long as there is no modern system in place, qualification of pilot will not be adequate to prevent air accidents," said another pilot.

The ill fated RA9NA BP is a twenty year old aircraft. It was refurbished and got life extension a year ago. Under the Canadian International Development Agency Project, the life extension and modification work was carried out on five aircraft. "With the supervision and by the help of Royal Nepal Airline's engineers, technicians and other engineering personnel the replacement of structured aircraft components of five twin otter aircraft was accomplished. This extended the life of the aircraft by additional 20 years," said Dr. Kiran Paudel Kshetri (Rana), Coordinator Twin Otter Support Project, in her article in Akash Bhairab, RA's 42nd anniversary issue.

According to flight international magazine, Twin Otter production began in 1965 and continued till 1988 with 844 aircraft built in total. Five hundred and sixty one of such aircraft are currently in service with their average age being 15 years.

The 9NA BP aircraft had shown some defects few years ago. Due to the oil cooler defect the aircraft had to take emergency single engine landing at Nepalgunj airport on 31\5\1998. The aircraft's Certification of Air worthiness C of A was valid till 28-7-2000 according to the civil aviation report.

Manufactured in August 1979, the aircraft was registered on 1 Dec 1979 according to the Civil Aviation Authority. The first twin otter was registered in Nepal on 6 March 1970.

Twin Otter Accidents

1. 22\12\1984 in Chakletidanda RNAC 15 passengers killed, 8 survived

2. 2\5\1986 Sanfebagar RNAC Airport No fatality

3. 19\8\1987 Dolpa RNAC No fatality

4. 9\6\1991 Lukla, RNAC No fatality

5. 28\6\1991 Air Traffic Support Center in Simikot No fatality

6. 14\01\1995 at Tribhuwan International Airport RA 2 killed, 23 survived

7. 28\07\1996 Simikot, ATSC No fatality

8. 21\08\98 ATSC at Chuchele Kharka all 18 killed

9. Skyline Aircraft in December 25 1999 at Makwanpur All dead

Air Accidents In 1998

1. 4\01\98 helicopter, Dipayal No casualty

2. 21\08\98 ATSC Twin otter 18 died

3. 24\10\98 Asian Airlines MI-17 helicopter No casualty

4. RNAC pilatus porter One dead

Air Accidents In 1999

1. 17\01\1999 Cessna Necon Air 5 dead

2. 30\04\99 Karnali Air helicopter No fatality

3. 31\05\99 Mankamana Airways helicopter No fatality

4. 9\7\99 Lufthansa Cargo 5 dead

5. Necon Air Avro Ramkot 15 killed

6. Skyline Airways All dead

The passenger aircraft, which was flying from Chainpur (Bajhang) to Dhangadi, crashed into a tree near Dadeldhura district of far western region. It had taken off from Chainpur at 10:30 a.m. and established contact with Air Traffic Control (ATC) at Dhangadi just three minutes before it crashed. The aircraft crashed when it digressed from its normal route to Dhangadi due to bad weather.

This is the biggest air disaster in Nepal since PIA's airbus crashed in Bhattedanda in 28 September, 1992 when all 157 passengers were killed. Over the decade, more than a dozen of Nepalese registered aircraft crashed. There were more than 300 fatalities and in most of the accidents and the aircraft involved were destroyed.

Chaotic scenes were witnessed after the Dadeldhura crash. Although it was in the remote area, the help was made immediately available.

According to an eye-witness account, the plane wobbled at a low altitude for a few seconds and engulfed in smoke, hit a tree and crashed into a mountain. It then burst into flames and broke into pieces. Other eyewitness confirmed that the plane had wobbled violently.

The copilot of the ill fated aircraft was said to have just completed 50 hours of flying with instructor and that flight was scheduled with the line captain. Whether he was qualified to fly in IMC remains unknown.

The aircraft has two equipment which indicate altitude and hearing. Due to monsoon winds, the aircraft might have been drifted to the west which the pilot might not have seen, said experts.

But civil aviation authority did not give credence to reports that plane caught fire before crashing. Speaking to media persons in Dhangadi, ATC Raghubir Prasad Yadav blamed the dark cloud for the accident. Due to miscalculation of the captain, who thought that he was close to runway, the plane descended very sharply from above 12,500 ft to 4300 ft. He said that the pilot even asked tower to clear the runway for landing. The instruments at Dhangadi Airport were functioning properly.

According the RNAC official, the particular plane had logged more than 40,000 hours in air. The aircraft had a Canadian engine and had undergone a check-up at Kathmandu recently.

RA's twin-otter operates around 30 flights daily, mainly on remote routes connecting dozens of destinations. It carries more than 500 passengers daily. Civil Aviation authorities said that over 100 twin otters are still flying and 52 of them had an average age of 22 years.

In the aftermath of the crash, the airlines, aging twin otters may not inspire much customer confidence. Already questions are being raised nation wide about their safety.