KATHMANDU: The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) suspended Manang Airline's Air Operator Certificate (AOC) on Saturday. The decision came after Manang airlines reported two aviation accidents within three months, reported The Himalayan Times.
On Saturday morning, Manang Air helicopter (registration 9N-ANJ) crash-landed in the Everest region at Labouche in the middle of a rescue operation of foreign trekkers.
The helicopter's pilot, Prakash Kumar Sedhai sustained severe injuries and is undergoing treatment at HAMS Hospital in Kathmandu.
"His condition is very critical as he suffered 65% burn injuries and also got spinal cord fractured," The Himalayan Times reported.
Manang Air had previously been involved in another helicopter crash just a couple of months ago, resulting in the tragic loss of five passengers, including its pilot Chet Bahadur Gurung. The previous accident had occurred in Lamjura Pass, Solukhumbu, and was attributed to adverse weather conditions.
As per The Himalayan Times, 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 and added that the authority will conduct a complete inspection of its entire fleet of helicopters.
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, its AOC will be cancelled."
In Saturday'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 the H125 helicopter (9N-ANJ) accident of Manang Air today in the Lobuche area, CAAN said.
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