On this day: On 31 July 1992, the plane crashed near the Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu. 113 people died in this accident.
The wreckage of the plane after the crash (File Photo)
On this day: Since the beginning of air travel, people have found a way to move rapidly from one place to another. But there have been some accidents during air travel, which have snatched people from their loved ones. One such incident happened on this day in 1992 in Nepal. Thai Airways International Flight 311 was en route from Don Mueang International Airport in Bangkok, Thailand to Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu, Nepal on 31 July 1992. But this plane crashed near Tribhuvan airport. 113 people died in this accident.
The plane was to land on the 2 runways of Tribhuvan airport. But during this time the crew members faced a defect in the flap of the plane, after which it was decided to land the plane at the nearby Kolkata airport. But after some time the flaps started working again and the crew decided to land in Kathmandu. The captain was constantly inquiring about the winds and visibility from Tribhuvan airport, but the air traffic control of the airport barely told that 2 runways were available for landing.
language problem
At the same time, there was also a problem of language between the Air Traffic Control and the pilot. The Captain asked four times for permission to turn left. But with no concrete response to his requests, he announced that he was turning right and took the plane to flight level 200. The air traffic controller handling the plane assumed that the plane was not going to land. So he gave clearance to the aircraft at an altitude of 11,500. This was a height at which the aircraft is safe. The plane came down from an altitude of 11,500 and it took a 360 degree turn and passed over the airport to the north.
Warning received to hit the mountain but the captain ignored
The Ground Proximity Warning System (GPWS) was activated a few seconds before the plane crashed. It started warning the crew that the plane could collide with the mountains. First Officer Boonyaj warned Captain Suttamai and urged him to turn the plane around. But due to the frustration with the air traffic control over the language, Suttamai said that the GPWS was just giving wrong reports. But shortly after, the plane collided with a steep cliff in a remote area of Langtang National Park at an altitude of 11,500 feet (3,505 m). In this accident 113 people including 14 crew members were killed.
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