Nepalese authorities believe pilot error was responsible for the plane crash that killed all 72 people on board last January. It was the worst air disaster in the Himalayan country since 1992, a member of the investigative committee told AFP on Friday.
• Also read: At least 67 dead in Nepal's deadliest air disaster in 30 years
“Technically, the aircraft was in good condition, but we believe that a bad maneuver of human origin caused the crash,” said Buddhi Sagar Lamichhane after several months of investigations.
A “bad lever” was allegedly used in the cockpit, he claimed.
The report, submitted to the Tourism Ministry on Thursday, speaks of an “inadvertent actuation” of controls that reduced the plane's thrust and caused it to lose altitude until it crashed.
The text mentions “human factors such as high workloads and stress” which appear to have led to an error in the identification and selection of propellers.
It is said that the crew did not notice the signals warning of the propellers stopping.
The plane, a twin-engine ATR 72 belonging to the Nepalese airline Yeti Airlines carrying 68 passengers and four crew members, crashed while en route between the capital Kathmandu and Pokhara (centre), the pilgrimage center and important border crossing for hikers.
The plane's occupants included six children and 15 foreigners.
A video posted on social media showed the twin-engine plane making a sharp left turn as it approached Pokhara airport, followed by a loud explosion.
Nepali civil aviation, essential for serving remote regions of the country and transporting trekkers and mountaineers, has experienced real growth in recent years.
Poor maintenance of equipment and lax application of safety regulations are plaguing the sector, despite international recommendations.
The European Union has banned all Nepalese airlines from its airspace for security reasons.
Nepal has some of the most remote and complex routes in the world, flanked by snow-capped peaks that pose a challenge for even the most experienced pilots.
In 1992, a Pakistan International Airlines plane crashed on approach to Kathmandu, killing all 167 passengers. It was the deadliest aviation accident in the country's history.