Plane carrying 71 people crashes, burns in Nepal
KATHMANDU, Nepal — A plane carrying 71 people from Bangladesh swerved erratically and flew dangerously low before crashing and erupting in flames yesterday in Kathmandu, killing at least 50 people, officials and witnesses said.
An airport official said the pilot of US-Bangla Airlines flight BS211 did not follow landing instructions from the control tower and had approached the airport’s one runway from the wrong direction. “The airplane was not properly aligned with the runway. The tower repeatedly asked if the pilot was OK and the reply was ‘yes,’ ” said Raj Kumar Chetri, the airport’s general manager.
But a recording of chatter between the pilot and air traffic controllers indicated confusion over which direction the plane should land.
Just before landing the pilot asks “Are we cleared to land?” Moments later, the controller comes back on, saying urgently, “I say again, turn!”
The plane was carrying 67 passengers and four crew.
The exact number of dead and injured remained unclear, but officials said at least 50 people had died.
Officials at Kathmandu Medical College, the closest hospital to the airport, said they were treating 16 survivors.