Kathmandu, Sept 24: A major air disaster was narrowly averted on Thursday morning at Juphal Airport in Nepal’s Dolpa district.
A small passenger aircraft belonging to the private carrier ‘Sita Air’ lost a rear tire completely while landing on the runway.
Fortunately, all 16 people on board—comprising 13 passengers and three crew members—are safe.
The Sita Air plane lost its rear right tire while landing at Juphal Airport in Dolpa district. There were 16 people on board in total, including 13 passengers and three crew members. Seven of the passengers were foreign nationals.
“The small aircraft, carrying 13 passengers and three crew members, met with the incident on the runway after the rear right tire detached,” stated Anil Raj Giri, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) at the Dolpa District Police Office.
The flight had departed from Nepalgunj for Dolpa district, located in the Karnali province of northwestern Nepal. The incident occurred during landing at Juphal Airport at approximately 8:25 AM local time. As soon as the incident occurred, the pilot immediately shut down the aircraft’s engine, thereby averting a major disaster. Officials stated that the aircraft did not sustain significant damage.
However, flight operations at Jufal Airport have been temporarily suspended because the aircraft is stuck on the runway. Meanwhile, a Nepal Army aircraft en route to Jufal had to change course and return.
Currently, runway repair work is underway, and officials are arranging to transport technical personnel via helicopter to clear the aircraft and resume normal operations at the airport.