KATHMANDU, Nov 15: A Russian flight engineer was killed after a cargo chopper operated by Manang Air crashed on a helipad at Rudikot village of Humla district on Sunday morning. [break]
Sergei Kovyazo died while his Russian colleague Captain Dmitry Shatalov, Nepali crew members Raj Bahadur Bhandari and KP Amatya, and two unidentified passengers were injured in the accident that occurred after the MI-17 chopper´s tail hit the helipad´s floor while landing, Raju Neupane of Manang Air told myrepublica.com.
Captain Shatalov said the rpm (revolutions per minute) of the engine suddenly decreased during landing causing the accident. The rpm, which should be 95 percent during landing, was 89 percent.
The chopper had left Surkhet airport at 10:30 a.m. with supplies including pipes meant for setting up a drinking water supply system in Rudikot. It met with the accident at 11:15 a.m. The chopper has been damaged, Neupane said.
A Shree Air chopper that flew from Surket airport for rescue brought body and the injured to Kathmandu. Kovyazo´s body has been taken to Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital for post-mortem, while the injured are receiving treatment at Norvic Hospital in Kathmandu, Neupane said.
He ruled out bad weather as the cause behind the accident. “The chopper had taken off after receiving clear weather signal. The cause of the accident is yet unclear,” he said.
DSP at Humla District Police Office Bahadur Malla said the accident site is located 31 miles south of district headquarters Simikot. A police team was dispatched to Rudikot from the nearest police post in Sarkighat after receiving information of the crash. But the injured and Kovyazo´s dead body were airlifted before the police team reached the spot.
The chopper was the only aircraft being operated by Manang Air.
Meanwhile, the government has formed a committee to probe into the crash. According to Laxman Bhattarai, spokesperson for the Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation, the committee, headed by colonel Pramod Lama, has Sanjeev Shrestha, Ranjit Baral, Rajan Pokharel and Suresh Acharya as members.
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