Two Helicopters Collide While Landing Near Everest in Nepal, Killing an Indian Tourist and Injuring Three
Nepal's Civil Aviation Authority and police in Solukhumbu district confirmed on November 3 that two helicopters collided at about 8:11 a.m. while landing at the helipad in Pheriche village in the Mount Everest region, killing one Indian tourist and injuring three other people. Pheriche, in Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality at an altitude of about 4,371 metres, is a key stop on the trekking route to Everest Base Camp.
Both aircraft were AS350 helicopters. The aviation authority said the Fishtail Air helicopter, registered 9N-AJR, was arriving from Gorakshep with two foreign passengers, while the Air Dynasty helicopter, registered 9N-AOD, was flying a cargo run from Lukla with about 300 kilograms of supplies and only its pilot on board; their main rotors struck each other as they approached the helipad. The collision was captured by a camera near the helipad.
Police identified the man killed as Vasanth Kumar Balaramudu, 47, an Indian tourist from Chennai. The injured were Shailesh Krishna Patel, 49, a New Zealand passenger travelling on the same helicopter, and the two pilots, Prajjwal KC and Rabindra Prajapati, who were taken to hospital for treatment.
Mukesh Dangol, director general of the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal, said preliminary information pointed to a possible miscommunication between the pilots: the helipad lies outside the coverage of Lukla airport's control tower, so pilots must coordinate their approaches directly with each other. The authority has opened a formal investigation, and the cause has not been established.
The crash comes during Nepal's peak autumn trekking season, when helicopters ferry visitors, deliver supplies and carry out rescues across the Everest region, and it has renewed attention on helicopter safety in the area.
Source: Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：尼泊尔珠峰地区 Pheriche 村，海拔约4371米，是前往珠峰大本营路线上的停靠点（资料图）。照片 CC BY 4.0，作者 Vyacheslav Argenberg，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: Pheriche village in Nepal's Everest region, a stop on the Everest Base Camp trail (file photo). CC BY 4.0, by Vyacheslav Argenberg, via Wikimedia Commons.
