ATR72 crash in Nepal 15/01/23

[red750]

An ATR72, with 72 persons on board, including at least one Australian, has crashed in Nepal. Current toll is 44 confirmed dead, but the toll is expected to climb.

[red750]

 

 

                  Reuters report here.

[onetrack]

It's looking very much like there were no survivors. The authorities have collected 68 bodies already. The staggering part is, the aircraft crashed on approach in clear, fine weather conditions.

 

Someone took a video of it, it looks like the pilots simply stalled it.

 

https://www.perthnow.com.au/news/aviation/nepal-plane-crash-yeti-airlines-aircraft-carrying-72-people-crashes-c-9456245

 

Edited January 15, 2023 by onetrack

[onetrack]

The unadorned original video below. The reports are the aircraft was approaching the runway from the opposite direction to that requested by ATC.

 

I guess the FDR and CVR will tell us what happened, perhaps it was even fuel exhaustion?

 

 

[RFguy]

well that's a wing drop if I ever saw one.

 

[kgwilson]

The attitude was way more than a stall for an ATR. The warnings must have been screaming at them.

[red750]

According to Geoff Thomas, Channel 7 aviation expert,  Pokhara airport only opened earlier this month.

[RFguy]

I thought it was a airport re development. Either way, I think we can say not an aiport fault... and are we sure that video is legit and authentic and is the aircraft ?

Did the engines  not respond to command for thrust (RPM, pitch) and the pilots try and 'extend the glide ' ????

Pilots who fly these dont fall for the downwind landing and ground speed illusion error.  The airplane is doing half the checks for them . (and screamign) 

[facthunter]

When you stall, you fall .. Challenging environment needs exceptional piloting skills, even on fine days. Nev

[RFguy]

It is I think, for training purposes, as excellent real genuine clear easy to see video sequence of ... what happens when airspeed drops too far for the maneuver (S&L or banked) 

We all do it up at 5000' . and ab-initio ,  dont think there is internal from the cockpit appreciation of what the plane is doing. 

[facthunter]

In such situations you look for attitude , configuration (Flap) and position of controls to give you clues on what's going on. That roll would have been uncommanded and unrecoverable from that height above terrain.  Nev

[rgmwa]

3 hours ago, red750 said:

According to Geoff Thomas, Channel 7 aviation expert,  Pokhara airport only opened earlier this month.

His expertise is in aviation generally. He spoke at an aero club meeting I attended once, and there's no doubt he knows a lot about the industry and its history. But he's not a pilot so doesn't have that perspective when it comes to commenting on the causes of accidents.

[facthunter]

There is a lot that only people at the Pointy end might know but not all of them are well trained OR with long experience.. YETI is not allowed in European Airspace, currently. Garuda and other Indonesian Airlines weren't either in times past. KAL had to be retrained by a Boeing offshoot. That was when Boeing had a good reputation.  The ATR is a high aspect ratio super efficient wing sensitive to icing and maybe a bit critical at the stall.. Considered good for feeder airline work. That flight is only about 35 minutes from Kathmandu.   Nev

[Garfly]

 

 

 

 

[Garfly]

 

Apparently the accident was live-streamed from inside the pax cabin.  

 

https://7news.com.au/travel/plane-crashes/chilling-videos-show-the-moment-passenger-plane-plunges-into-mountainous-nepal-c-9459068

 

https://www.thedailybeast.com/jet-carrying-72-people-crashes-into-gorge-in-nepal

 

 

 

 

Edited January 16, 2023 by Garfly

[kgwilson]

Whatever the cause, the end result was an aerodynamic stall with no room to recover.

[facthunter]

You can clearly see the aileron being applied to lift the dropping wing. It's all over at that stage.  Nev

[Thruster88]

Hard to understand how this can happen in a two pilot aircraft equipped with stick shaker and stick pusher. Runaway trim?

[phantomphixer]

What was going on in that cockpit? It appears that neither of the pilots was watching airspeed and altitude.

[RFguy]

11,000' DA is it ? . so ATR72-200 reference  landing speed ~ 110kts. TAS = 134...  looks fast over the ground. did they think it looks too fast over the ground ?

But hangon these are ATP , not kids flying  kites.

 

severe wing icing ? (costs 10-15 kts according to the book) 

runaway trim ?

passengers and lead bars  loading in cargo slid to the back of the aircraft ?????

 

 

[facthunter]

I heard one witness say He thought one engine was slowing down. IF it was feathering the pilot would have a job on his hands keeping it in the air with gear and. some  flap out. It would JUST  fly clean with the right speed  achieved and full power on the remaining engine IF he was lucky.   They are high hours pilots 20k and 6K hours.  Nev

[facthunter]

I think it's just been confirmed the Port engine was slowing down.  NO amount of flying skill could have saved it. Nev

[RFguy]

Nev - is it that  twins in general can't maintain altitude  with flaps out and gear down  on single engine ?

[facthunter]

High wing planes have very draggy undercarriages because of their length. The Fokker F 27 has a rapid retract AIR system to help with the engine out performance and the auto feather is pretty rapid also on all turboprops as they can have more drag that the thrust they deliver if you leave them whirling.. To your question:

      Yes that's true. You have a commit point  where the plane has to be descending to continue flying at a safe speed. (Margin above stall AND VMC (a)) (Control) Obviously a go around can not be done under these circumstances. If you could clean it up it should be capable of climbing on one engine but you have to accelerate to the clean speed to get optimum climb rate. (NOT angle).  Nev

[facthunter]

Modern Twins have to be able to climb away on engine out after V1 ( Decision, GO - NO GO) which starts off with take off flap which is always less that landing flap. Nev.