Incident Overview

Date: Sunday 14 April 2019
Aircraft Type: Let L-410UVP-E20
Owner/operator: Summit Air
Registration Number: 9N-AMH
Location: Lukla-Tenzing-Hillary Airport (LUA) – ÿ Nepal
Phase of Flight: Take off
Status: Destroyed, written off
Casualties: Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 3
Component Affected: The L-410UVP-E20 helicopter’s control systems, specifically the right power lever, and the aircraft’s rotor blades.The L-410UVP-E20 helicopter’s control systems, specifically the right power lever, and the aircraft’s rotor blades.
Investigating Agency: Nepal AAICNepal AAIC
Category: Accident
A Summit Air Let L-410UVP-E20 helicopter impacted a Manang Air Eurocopter AS 350B3e helicopter during a takeoff attempt at Lukla-Tenzing-Hillary Airport in Nepal. The aircraft and helicopter were destroyed, resulting in the fatality of one helicopter pilot and two ground personnel. The incident involved a veering maneuver during takeoff, leading to a significant impact with the airport fence and subsequent damage to the surrounding area. The aircraft subsequently skidded across the grassy area, striking two other helicopters, including a Manang Air Eurocopter AS 350, and crashed into the upper helipad. The incident highlights a critical failure in the pilot’s assessment of the aircraft’s stability during takeoff, compounded by the failure to adequately correct the power lever shift, and resulted in a catastrophic impact.A Summit Air Let L-410UVP-E20 helicopter impacted a Manang Air Eurocopter AS 350B3e helicopter during a takeoff attempt at Lukla-Tenzing-Hillary Airport in Nepal. The aircraft and helicopter were destroyed, resulting in the fatality of one helicopter pilot and two ground personnel. The incident involved a veering maneuver during takeoff, leading to a significant impact with the airport fence and subsequent damage to the surrounding area. The aircraft subsequently skidded across the grassy area, striking two other helicopters, including a Manang Air Eurocopter AS 350, and crashed into the upper helipad. The incident highlights a critical failure in the pilot’s assessment of the aircraft’s stability during takeoff, compounded by the failure to adequately correct the power lever shift, and resulted in a catastrophic impact.

Description

A Summit Air Let L-410UVP-E20 Turbolet impacted a Manang Air Eurocopter AS 350B3e helicopter (9N-ALC) during a takeoff attempt at Lukla-Tenzing-Hillary Airport in Nepal. The aircraft and helicopter were destroyed. One helicopter (Shree Airlines Eurocopter AS 350, 9N-ALK) sustained minor damage. The copilot of the Summit Air plane sustained fatal injuries. Two persons on the ground at the helipad also died in the accident. The L-410 was repositioning to Ramechhap after flying passengers and cargo to Lukla. The captain taxied the aircraft to threshold of runway 24 and handed over control to the co-pilot. Within 3 seconds of the takeoff roll the aircraft veered to the right and exited the runway, travelling about 43 ft across the grassy part on right side of runway 24, before striking the airport inner perimeter fence. It then continued to skid for about 43 ft, and hit two persons before it crashed into the upper helipad. It struck the turning rotor blades of 9N-ALC. The moving rotors cut through the cockpit and the helicopter toppled onto the lower helipad 6 ft below. The left-hand wing of the aircraft broke the skid of another helicopter, 9N-ALK, and came to a halt with 9N-ALC beneath its right-hand main wheel assembly Lukla Airport is located on a mountain at an elevation of 9334 feet (2845 m). The runway is 1729 ft long (527 m) with an 11.7% gradient. Takeoffs must be performed from the downsloping runway 24. The helipad is located to the right of the runway, about 100 meters past the threshold. Probable Cause The commission concluded that the probable cause of the accident was aircraft’s veering towards right during initial take-off roll as a result of asymmetric power due to abrupt shifting of right power lever rearwards and failure to abort the takeoff by crew. There were not enough evidences to determine the exact reason for abrupt shifting of the power lever. Contributing Factors 1. Failure of the PF(being a less experienced co-pilot) to immediately assess and act upon the abrupt shifting of the right power lever resulted in aircraft veering to the right causing certain time lapse for PIC to take controls in order to initiate correction. 2. PIC’s attempted corrections of adding power could not correct the veering. Subsequently, application of brakes resulted in asymmetric braking due to the position of the pedals, and further contributed veering towards right.

Source of Information

https://kathmandupost.ekantipur.com/news/2019-04-14/summit-air-plane-crashes-at-lukla-airport-2-reported-dead.htmlhttps://kathmandupost.ekantipur.com/news/2019-04-14/summit-air-plane-crashes-at-lukla-airport-2-reported-dead.html

Primary Cause

Aboard pilot’s failure to immediately assess and react to a sudden shift in the right power lever, leading to a veering maneuver during takeoff. The lack of sufficient corrective action resulted in asymmetric braking and a subsequent rightward skid, ultimately causing the impact with the fence and surrounding area.Aboard pilot’s failure to immediately assess and react to a sudden shift in the right power lever, leading to a veering maneuver during takeoff. The lack of sufficient corrective action resulted in asymmetric braking and a subsequent rightward skid, ultimately causing the impact with the fence and surrounding area.

Share on:

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *