Bad weather and poor judgment reasons for Ghunsa chopper crash: preliminary report

It was the bad weather coupled with poor judgment on the part of the pilot that were responsible for the fatal chopper crash in Ghunsa of Taplejung last month, according to a preliminary report.

The report prepared by the probe commission formed by the government to investigate the accident stated that the Ghunsa area was cloudy on September 23 when the pilot decided to enter the cloud even though the chopper was 'not certified' for Instrumental Flight Rule (IFR).

According to aviation norms, in aircrafts that are certified only for Visual Flight Rules (VFR), it is not appropriate to fly when there is poor visibility.

The report prepared by the team led by Keshari Raj Pundit, a judge at the appellate court, further pointed out that the pilot Kim Klim was flying in that region for the first time.

"The technical side of the helicopter was good and there were no health-related problems on the part of pilots," said Pundit after submitting the report to the Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Pradip Gyawali. "The chopper hit the hill 2minutes and 58 seconds after it took off from Ghunsa," Pundit said. The final report of the commission will be completed after two months, it is said.

The crash of the helicopter belonging to Shree Airlines killed 24 persons including 4 crew members and 20 distinguished personalities. nepalnews.com sd Oct 21 06