Black box from Yeti Airlines plane that crashed in Nepal to be sent to Singapore

Black boxes recovered from the January 15 plane crash in Nepal have been sent to Singapore for analysis to determine the cause of the crash that killed all 72 people on board.

Both the flight data recorder and the cockpit voice recorder are inspected by experts from Singapore’s Transportation Safety Investigation Authority.

“Nepalese investigative team departs on Friday with flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder [for Singapore] This is where the data is downloaded and analyzed,” said Rajendra Kumar KC, spokesperson for the Civil Aviation Authority.

A government-installed commission is investigating the cause of the Yeti Airlines crash.

Initially, the black box was proposed to be brought to France, where the aircraft was built, but Nepali authorities decided to send it to Singapore.

Rescuers are searching the hillside for the bodies of two people still missing since the crash in the resort town of Pokhara, 200 kilometers west of the capital Kathmandu.

A twin-engine ATR 72-500 aircraft was approaching Pokhara International Airport in the foothills of the Himalayas when it crashed into an 820-meter canyon about 1 mile from the runway.

The cause of the crash is still unclear, though some aviation experts say ground-based video of the plane’s final moments shows it stalled, although the reason is unclear. .

The plane was carrying 68 passengers, including 15 foreigners, and four crew members.

Foreigners included 5 Indians, 4 Russians, 2 Koreans, and 1 each from Ireland, Australia, Argentina and France.

Nepal’s Civil Aviation Authority also said the airport’s instrument landing system will not function until February 26, eight weeks after the airport began operations on January 1.

Aviation safety experts say the absence reflects Nepal’s poor aviation safety record, where mountainous terrain and resulting erratic weather conditions make flying difficult.

APs