Buddha Air Flight 103

{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2025}} {{Infobox aircraft occurrence | image = File:Budda air.jpg | image_upright = | alt = | caption = Gear and empennage at the crash site | occurrence_type = Accident | date = 25 September 2011 | summary = [[Controlled flight into terrain]] due to [[pilot error]] | site = Kotdanda, [[Lalitpur, Nepal|Lalitpur]], Nepal | coordinates = {{Coord|27|37|31|N|85|22|28|E|type:event|display = inline,title}} | plane1_image = File:Buddha Air Beechcraft 1900D 9N-AEK.jpg | plane1_image_upright = | plane1_caption = 9N-AEK, the aircraft involved in the accident, seen in 2005 | aircraft_type = [[Beechcraft 1900D]] | aircraft_name = | operator = [[Buddha Air]] | callsign = BUDDHA AIR 103 | tail_number = 9N-AEK | origin = [[Tribhuvan International Airport]], [[Kathmandu]], Nepal | stopover = | stopover0 = | last_stopover = | destination = Tribhuvan International Airport | occupants = 19 | passengers = 16 | crew = 3 | fatalities = 19 (initially 18) | injuries = | missing = | survivors = 0 (initially 1) }} On 25 September 2011, '''Buddha Air Flight 103''', a [[Beechcraft 1900|Beechcraft 1900D]] commuter aircraft, crashed near [[Lalitpur, Nepal|Lalitpur]], Nepal, while attempting to land in poor weather at nearby [[Kathmandu Airport]]. All 19 passengers and crew on board were killed. The aircraft, operated by [[Buddha Air]], was on a sightseeing flight to Mount Everest.<ref name="abc">{{Cite web |date=25 September 2011 |title=18 dead after tourist plane crashes in Nepal |url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-09-25/plane-carrying-19-crashes-in-nepal/2941456 |access-date=25 September 2011 |website=ABC News |place=Australia}}</ref><ref name="al jazeera">{{Cite web |date=25 September 2011 |title=Deaths in Nepal plane crash |url=http://english.aljazeera.net/news/asia/2011/09/201192541156281598.html |access-date=25 September 2011 |publisher=Al Jazeera English}}</ref><ref name="nyc">{{Cite news |last=Molnar |first=Matt |date=25 September 2011 |title=Mount Everest Tour Plane Crashes in Nepal |url=http://nycaviation.com/2011/09/mount-everest-tour-plane-crashes-in-nepal/ |access-date=25 September 2011 |newspaper=nycaviation.com}}</ref>

==Aircraft== The aircraft was a 19-seat [[Beechcraft 1900|Beechcraft 1900D]] twin-engine turboprop airliner; it was 13 years old and registered in Nepal as 9N-AEK. It was powered by two [[Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6|Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-67D]] turboprop engines.<ref name="asn">{{Cite web |last=Ranter |first=Harro |title=ASN Aircraft accident Beechcraft 1900D 9N-AEK Kathmandu-Tribhuvan Airport (KTM) |url=https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=20110925-0 |access-date=2020-08-24 |website=Aviation Safety Network}}</ref>

==Accident== Initial investigations revealed that the aircraft was being operated under VFR (Visual Flight Rules); and two minutes before it was due to land it entered clouds and crashed at {{Convert|5400|ft|m|}}. Air traffic controllers and members of the investigation team claim the reason for the crash was pilot error.

A resident of [[Bisankhunarayan]] reported that the aircraft had struck the roof of a house in the village before crashing. At the time of the accident, visibility was poor due to the presence thick fog in the mountainous area.

==Passengers== The 16 passengers included 10 Indian nationals, one Japanese, two Americans and three Nepalese.<ref name=rep>{{cite news|title=Buddha Bud Air plane crashes, 19 dead|url=http://www.myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=36482|access-date=25 September 2011|newspaper=My Republica|date=25 September 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110929134505/http://www.myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=36482|archive-date=29 September 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Investigation== [[File:Buddha_Air.jpg|left|thumb|Investigators examine the wreckage of the plane.]] A Nepali aviation agency found that the first officer only had 18 hours of flying experience in the type. The aircraft entered a cloud bank two minutes before landing and was flying at 5,000 feet instead of the 6,000 feet assigned at that area. The aircraft lost altitude, struck trees, and crashed into the ground.<ref name="baaa-acro">{{Cite web |title=Crash of a Beechcraft 1900D in Kathmandu: 19 killed |url=https://www.baaa-acro.com/crash/crash-beechcraft-1900d-kathmandu-19-killed |access-date=2020-08-24 |website=Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives}}</ref>

The captain was assigned to the accident flight on the day of the accident on short notice, but he had not gotten enough rest, having flown the previous day. Investigators determined that, due to the resulting fatigue, the captain had assigned flight duties to the first officer despite her limited flight experience.{{Citation needed|date=February 2026}}

The crew did not adhere to standard operating procedures (SOPs), which required the aircraft to fly above 6,000 feet (1,800 m) in the accident area. Crew coordination was deficient as the captain had frequently distracted the first officer with advice rather than explaining the procedures to her.<ref name="avherald">{{Cite web |last=Hradecky |first=Simon |date=3 March 2012 |orig-date=25 September 2011 |title=Crash: Buddha B190 near Kathmandu on Sep 25th 2011, impacted terrain |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-09-25/plane-carrying-19-crashes-in-nepal/2941456 |access-date=24 August 2020 |website=The Aviation Herald}}</ref>

Investigators required all airlines to install ground proximity warning systems (GPWS) on their aircraft and issued eight other safety recommendations regarding pilot training and the installation of visual flight aids.<ref name="baaa-acro" />

== See also ==

* [[List of accidents and incidents involving commercial aircraft]] * [[Beechcraft 1900]] * [[Buddha Air]]

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== * {{ASN accident|20110925-0}} * [http://www.buddhaair.com/ Buddha Air]

{{Sister project links}} {{Aviation accidents and incidents in Nepal}} {{Aviation accidents and incidents in 2011}} {{Portal bar|Aviation|Nepal}} [[Category:Airliner accidents and incidents involving controlled flight into terrain]] [[Category:Airliner accidents and incidents caused by pilot error]] [[Category:Aviation accidents and incidents in 2011]] [[Category:Aviation accidents and incidents involving the Beechcraft 1900]] [[Category:Aviation accidents and incidents in Nepal]] [[Category:2011 in Nepal]] [[Category:September 2011 in Asia]] [[Category:2011 disasters in Nepal]] [[Category:India–Nepal relations]]