2016 Air Kasthamandap PAC 750XL crash
2016 Air Kasthamandap crash
On 26 February 2016, a PAC 750XL aircraft operated by Air Kasthamandap crashed in a field near Chilkhaya, Kalikot district, Nepal. There were 11 people on board: 9 passengers (including an infant) and 2 crew. The flight was from Nepalgunj to Jumla. An engine failure forced an emergency landing; the forward fuselage was crushed on impact, and the landing gear caught in a pile of firewood. The cockpit was destroyed. Both crew members, First Officer Santosh Rana and Captain Dinesh Neupane, were killed. Nine passengers were injured but survived.
The aircraft, a PAC 750XL delivered new to the airline in 2009, had an engine that was built in 1991 and installed in 2015. Investigations found maintenance problems, tied to the airline’s financial difficulties, contributed to the engine failure. After the crash, Nepal’s Civil Aviation Authority tightened rules and restricted single-engine aircraft from regular passenger service. A government committee released its report in September 2016, confirming engine failure as the cause of the emergency landing and noting maintenance neglect as a factor.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 14:17 (CET).