KATHMANDU, OCTOBER 14

The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) has suspended the Manang Air's Air Operator Certificate (AOC) this morning. This decision by CAAN follows two aviation accidents involving Manang Air within the past three months.

This morning, a Manang Air helicopter (registration 9N-ANJ) crash-landed in the Everest region at Lobuche. It was on a mission to rescue foreign trekkers but met with an accident during its landing attempt. The helicopter's senior captain, Prakash Kumar Sedhai, sustained severe injuries and is currently receiving treatment at HAMS Hospital in Kathmandu. 'His condition is very critical as he suffered 65% burn injuries and also got spinal cord fractured,' HAMS sources said.

Manang Air had previously been involved in another helicopter crash just three months ago, resulting in the tragic loss of five passengers, including its pilot Chet Bahadur Gurung. The earlier accident had occurred in Lamjura Pass, Solukhumbu, and was attributed to adverse weather conditions.

Gyanendra Bhul, the spokesperson at CAAN, explained that the suspension of the company's AOC was a result of these two accidents occurring within the last three months. He added, 'Following this suspension, a comprehensive inspection of the entire fleet of the company's helicopters will be conducted. If any procedural errors are identified during this process, it's AOC will be canceled.'

In today's incident, Pilot Sedhai was the sole occupant of the helicopter when it crashed near the Lobuche helipad. The helicopter caught fire after the accident. Sedai was promptly rescued from the crash site and airlifted to Kathmandu by Fishtail Air.

A four-member committee has been formed for the investigation of H125 helicopter (9N-ANJ) accident of Manang Air today in Lobuche area, CAAN said.