It's hard not to be moved by the final words of Dinesh Neupane, the pilot of the ill-fated Air Kastamandap aircraft that crash-landed at Chilkhaya VDC of Kalikot district on Friday. "We will land the plane safely," Neupane, the main pilot, was trying to reassure his panicky passengers as the plane hurtled down towards the ground after the failure on its sole engine."We will save all passengers even at the cost of our lives." In the event, the only two people killed in the crash were Neupane and his copilot Santosh Rana. Some airline pilots Republica talked to corroborated the heroic story of these two brave men. When pilots decide they will have to crash-land an airplane, they can do it in one of two ways: either nose-first (with the cockpit hitting the ground first) or tail-first (with the rear of the plane first hitting the ground). The two Air Kastamandap pilots could perhaps have saved their own lives had they landed tail-first, in which case there would perhaps have been some casualties among their nine passengers. But the two pilots seemed determined to save their passengers—even by endangering their own lives.What an inspiring story this is! We would like to extend our heartfelt condolence to the bereaved families of these two valiant pilots. We, like the rest of the country, are with you at this moment of your personal loss—nay, a national mourning. The nation today mourns two martyrs who gave their lives to save others. The recently released Bollywood movie, Neerja, documents the 1986 real-life hijack of the Pan Am Flight 73. Its chief flight attendant, Neerja Bhanot, could have easily saved herself had she jumped out of the hijacked aircraft after opening the passenger door. But she wanted to make sure she first helped her passengers get out of the aircraft safely. As she was doing so she was gunned down by one of the hijackers. Neerja Bhanot showed that bravery is not something on display only in battlefields. There is bravery even in properly doing your work, in the realization that what you do with your heart makes a difference, however small, in the lives of other people.
In a way, like Bhanot, the two Air Kastamandap pilots were only carrying out their duties. So it is for their unswerving sense of duty, even in the most trying circumstances, that Neupane and Rana deserve the highest state honors. Let their story be a source of inspiration for the young generation that has been greatly disillusioned by the recent state of affairs in the country, a godforsaken place where they feel nothing ever goes right. But a place of everyday heroes like Neupane and Rana has hope. If they wanted, with their technical skills, both Neupane and Rana could probably have landed well-paying jobs abroad. But by choosing to work in Nepal, they also voluntarily chose to navigate some of the most dangerous terrains for flying in the world, in the process helping with the connectivity and development of far-flung districts like Jumla and Darchula. For their unmatched bravery and for giving us all a new reason for hope the whole country today salutes Dinesh Neupane and Santosh Rana. You make us proud.
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