Senior captain appointed to investigate January 2 incident that injured seven
KATHMANDU, JANUARY 7
The government has appointed a senior captain to investigate the Buddha Air aircraft accident that occurred at Chandragadhi (Bhadrapur) Airport in Jhapa earlier this month.
According to a notice issued by the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, senior captain Binod Puri has been designated as the investigator to conduct a formal inquiry into the accident involving Buddha Air's ATR aircraft (9N-AMF). The appointment follows a Cabinet decision taken on December 5, in line with the Non-Military Aircraft Accident Investigation Regulation, 2071.
The investigator has been instructed to complete the probe and submit a report within 45 days, the notice said.
The incident occurred on the night of January 2, when the Kathmandu–Bhadrapur flight (U4 901) overshot the eastern end of the runway by around 300 metres while landing at about 9:10 pm, veering into grassy and muddy terrain.
There were 51 passengers, four crew members and one aircraft engineer on board. Seven people, including co-pilot Sushant Shrestha, were injured.