Kathmandu: It was the mistake of the crew members of Tara Air’s Twin-Otter plane that led to a fatal crash in Jomsom in Manang district on May 29, 2022, according to the final report of the Air Crash Investigation Commission.
The report was submitted to the Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation on February 23, 2023. The accident claimed the lives of all 22 passengers and crew members on board.
The report highlighted that the Terrain Avoidance and Warning System (TAWS), which provides information about potential terrain hazards, was not used appropriately by the crew members. The TAWS system was not activated, and therefore, the crew members did not receive the necessary information about the mountain ahead and its potential risks.
The Air Crash Investigation Commission was formed by the government on May 30, 2022, and was led by former Director General of Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) Ratish Chandra Lal Suman. The commission members included Captain Dipu Jwarchan, senior maintenance engineer Upendra Lal Shrestha, and senior meteorologist Mani Ratna Shakya, while Buddhi Sagar Lamichhane was the member-secretary.
The report concluded that the accident was caused by a combination of crew members negligence and bad weather. The failure to use the TAWS system appropriately was cited as a key factor in the crash.
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