Three dead in Nepal as plane crashes into helicopter mid-take off at treacherous Everest ‘gateway’ airport

Twin Otter aircraft hit the other aircraft at Tenzing Hillary Airport at Lukla

The dead included two security guards who were near the helicopter. The pilot of the plane was among three people injured

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Aircraft collision at Lukla airport in Solukhumbu, Nepal. Photo: Xinhua

Published: 9:13am, 15 Apr 2019Updated: 9:13am, 15 Apr 2019

A small plane operated by a private airline in Nepal hit a parked helicopter on Sunday while preparing to take off in a mountainous area near Mount Everest, killing three people including a co-pilot, an airport official said.

The Twin Otter aircraft crashed into the helicopter at Tenzing Hillary Airport at Lukla, known as the gateway to the world’s highest mountain, 125km (78 miles) northeast of capital Kathmandu.

The plane, operated by Summit Air, was not carrying passengers as it was trying to leave what is considered to be one of the world’s most dangerous airports due to the shortness of its runway and its location surrounded by mountains.

Officials said the cause of the incident was not immediately known.

Medical staff take one of the plane crash victims to Grande International Hospital, in Kathmandu. Photo: AFP

“Two people died on the spot and the third one died while undergoing treatment in a hospital in Kathmandu,” airport official Pratap Babu Tiwari told Reuters.

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