Crash

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    Firefighters Tanker Goes Down Fighting Wildfire


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Mike Freer

    What: Neptune Aviation Services Inc.Lockheed P2V-7 Neptune
    Where: Iron County, Utah
    When: June 3, 2012, 1 pm
    Who: 2 fatalities
    Why: While fighting a fire east of the Utah/Nevada border, two fire fighting pilots working with the Ely division of the Bureau of Land Management lost their lives.

    The plane was carrying 2000 gallons of water and 1,600 gallons of fuel, and was approaching the fire when it crashed in rocky terrain.

    Pilot 48-year-old Todd Tompkins, and co- pilot, Ronnie Chambless, 40 were on their second run dropping retardant on the fire when the plane went down.

    No probable cause of the accident has been released.

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    Fire Fighting Tanker Belly Landing at Minden-Tahoe Airport


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Ashley Wallace – Touchdown-Aviation

    What: Minden Air Corp Lockheed SP-2H Neptune
    Where: Minden-Tahoe Airport in Carson Valley
    When: June 3, 2012 3:30 pm.
    Who: 2 aboard
    Why: The inbound tanker was unable to lower all of it’s landing gear, and burned off (about 7000 gallons) of fuel before it made a belly landing at 3:30 pm.

    Neither the pilot nor the co-pilot were injured but the plane did skid off the runway.

    The air tanker is a fire-fighting plane which had been engaged in fighting a wildfire south of Reno.

    Two videos of this tanker landing

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    First Report of Dana Air Crash in Lagos


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Peter Tonna

    http://www.cknnigeria.com/2012/06/exclusive-pictures-of-crashed-dana-air.html?m=1

    What: Dana Air McDonnell Douglas MD-83 en route from Abuja to Lagos, Nigeria
    Where: Iju neighborhood, Lagos
    When: June 3, 2012
    Who: 153 passengers
    Why: Weather was clear. The Dana Air flight experienced engine trouble first in one engine, then the other and was nearing to the airport when it apparently struck a cable and crashed into a residential area less than four miles from the airport. There are no survivors.

    Pilots already flying on one engine had slowed, then the second engine failed.

    The number of people aboard is not definite as it is not reflected in the flight manifest. Apparently some paper-ticketed passengers are not recorded on computer records, and the passenger manifest is in the process of being double-checked.

    The plane had refueled which contributed to a massive fire. The number of casualties in the furniture store/workshop and apartment building that were struck is unknown.

    The Nigerian Red Cross, Nigeria’s air crash safety investigators,2 firetrucks and 50 rescue personnel arrived on the scene. A number of charred remains have been recovered.

    Local residents report hearing a loud explosion that sounded like a bomb.

    Photos of the disaster site show people wandering around the wreckage, with the site not secured.


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    Cargo Flight Crashes Van

    What: Allied Air Boeing 727 en route from Lagos Nigeria to Accra
    Where: Kotoka Airport, Hajj Village, Ghana
    When: June 2, 2012 7 pm
    Who: 10 fatalities, 4 survivors
    Why: Flight DHV 111 was flying from Lagos when it touched down halfway down the runway in Accra and failed to stop at the end.


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Planecatcher

    The plane overran the end of the runway, crashed through a perimeter fence, crossed Giffard Road, and slammed into a Benz van, killing 10. Four aboard the flight survived the collision.

    ATC may have advised pilots to divert to Abidjan because of the weather.

    Police, military and fire as well as the coordinator of National Disaster Management Organisation were on the scene.

    The plane was considered totaled, with wing damage, separated tail and collapsed gear. The plane reportedly was Pan Am’s last revenue flight Dec 4, 1991.

    See photos and videos below:

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    Canadian Helicopter Wrecks at Sleeping Beauty

    What: Bailey Helicopters Ltd.Eurocopter AS 350B2 AStar flying out of CYXJ/Fort St John General Airport
    Where: Sleeping Beauty Mountain. Terrace BC, Canada
    When: June 1, 2012
    Who: 3 aboard, 3 fatalities
    Why: At nine oclock, ATC lost contact with a training flight flown by 45-year-old Peter Bryant. Two other Bailey Helicopter employees were also aboard.

    A search and rescue team including a Canadian Armed Forces Buffalo fixed-wing aircraft and a Cormorant helicopter out of Comox were all deployed to the electronic flight tracking system location and confirmed that the Eurocopter crashed in poor weather (described as “horrible”) into Sleeping Beauty Mountain. The area was undergoing rain and snow, and considered unsafe by an avalanche technician. One rescue searcher hiked to the crash site.

    The remains have now been recovered, though it was a hazardous recovery, during which an avalanche occurred.

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    FAA, NTSB Employee’s Planes Collide


    What: NTSB employee’s Beechcraft BE-35 (N6658R) five miles from Warrenton-Fauquier Airport
    What: FAA employee Thomas R. Provin’s 1965 Piper PA-28 (N23SC) en route from from Culpeper Regional Airport to the Warrenton-Fauquier
    Where: southern Fauquier County.
    When: May 28, 2012 4:00 pm
    Who: two people aboard the Beechcraft fatalities, one aboard the Piper (injured)
    Why: Over Warrenton, Fauquier County, Virginia, two planes collided. The pilot of the piper was hospitalized with injuries; both in the Beechcraft succumbed to their injuries. The Beechcraft was owned by an employee of the NTSB. The Piper is owned by an employee of the FAA. Subsequently, they requested the Canadian NTSB to investigate.

    The planes impacted the ground a mile apart by a mile long debris field, one on a family farm. The woodsy secluded area is a challenging site to gather debris due to wildlife like snakes.

    View more videos at: http://nbcwashington.com.

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    Small Swiss-owned Planet Crashes after “problems” in Parchim


    What: Twin Club Diamond DA42 Twin Star
    Where: Schwerin-Parchim Airport, Germany
    When: May 28, 2012
    Who: 4 aboard, 2 fatalities
    Why: After the pilot reported to ATC of having problems with the aircraft just after takeoff, the flight crashed in a forest near the town of Parchim. The 58 year old Swiss pilot and one 61 year old Swiss female passenger were reported as fatalities. Emergency services arrived in time to free two others (also Swiss) from the aircraft.

    They were injured and ported by helicopter to a hospital.

    The names have not been released.

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    4 Lost in Crash at St George Airport


    What: Cessna 172
    Where: St. George Municipal Airport, St George, Utah
    When: May 26, 2012
    Who: 4 aboard, 4 fatalities
    Why: The plane carrying four men crashed early in the morning around 1:30 a.m. The wreckage wasn’t discovered until 6 a.m. when security discovered it 300 feet south of the runway. There were no severe weather conditions reported at the airport during the early morning hours.

    The four victims were locals whose names have not been released.

    The FAA and NTSB are investigating.

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    Light Craft Crashes in Hancock County

    What: Piper PA-22-150 single engine aircraft
    Where: Greenfield County, Indiana
    When: May 26, 2012, 7:00 a.m.
    Who: 3 aboard
    Why: Near the Pennsy biking trail and County Road 400 east, a single engine aircraft, a Piper PA-22-150 Tri-Pacer has crashed.

    The accident occurred south of Pope Airfield where the pilot had just attempted takeoff but failed to achieve adequate lift to fly over the treeline.

    They did miss power lines.

    Pilot Melvin Grant, of Greenfield, and passengers Mark Grant and Andrew Pfaff were taken to Indianapolis’s Methodist Hospital.

    The FAA is investigating.

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    Bell Crash in Switzerland


    What: HeliSwiss Bell Jet Ranger training flight
    Where: Tschäggeten-Alp, Kandertal, Berner Oberland Switzerland
    When: May 24, 2012
    Who: 3 aboard, 3 fatalities
    Why: Three Swiss pilots, one of them a flight instructor leading the training flight crashed after hitting a wire.

    The flight went missing at 5:45, after which a search continued until darkness in the rugged terrain was too dangerous.

    The Heliswiss helicopter crashed into a tributary of the Kander Valley. The site of the impact is a steep, wooded, rocky slope in Tschaggenten-Alp, an area with poor reception, which is hindering recovery services.

    After a fire was spotted, rescue teams were flown in, halted overnight (with only security guards on hand) and recovery begun again May 25th.

    A team has been assembled to care for the family members.

    The Bell Jet Ranger is an American helicopter.

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    Agricultural Accident-two cropdusters collide


    What: Miles Flying Service AT80 AIR TRACTOR AT-802A
    Where: Paragould Arkansas
    When: May 23, 2012, 11:35 a.m
    Who: 1 severe injury, 1 fatality
    Why: Two agricultural planes, a Beech Grove Grumman G164C and a Miles Flying Service AIR TRACTOR AT-802A collided in midair during an aerial application (crop-dusting) activity. The planes flew from Craighead and Greene county airstrips. One plane was flying S-N, the other was flying E-W. The planes turned into one another at the field’s corner and they impacted ground separated by 300 yards near County Road 322 and Highway 168 in Greene County.

    One person on the Gurmman was fatally injured; one person on the Air tractor had serious injuries. The accident occurred sixteen miles from Paragould arkansas. A medical helicopter evacuated the injured pilot.

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    Disaster Drill in Springfield

    Congratulations to Springfield-Branson National Airport for a successful disaster.

    A successful disaster drill, that is, for airport, Willard, and Springfield fire departments and Cox and Mercy hospitals.

    This year staged a mock airplane on fire that had to be put out, and then actors in the wreckage portraying victims.

    At the old terminal, 20 actors were passengers who were dead or injured, and first responders were able to practice significant emergency response. Springfield-Branson National Airport is a likely location for a landing disaster situation because they have a long runway designed to accommodate a big airliner being able to land.

    Video shows actors in preparation for the disaster.

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    Cessna Crashes into Front Yard, Takes out 2000+ Utilities


    What: Cessna 210 en route from Phoenix to Van Nuys
    Where: Glendale
    When: May 21, 20128:30 pm
    Why: A plane crashed in Glendale, hitting power lines and knocking out service to 2,100 customers near the crash site. The pilot notified ATC of engine trouble near the El Monte Airport, and said he was trying to reach Van Nuys Airport before he lost contact with ATC.

    THe plane struck power poles and a tree before impacting the ground in a residential front yard. Three homes were evacuated but no one on the ground was injured.

    The pilot went to Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center with injures but was released Monday night. Police said he did a good job avoiding causing damage to other people and property. The Cessna is owned by Allen K. Heng and James Roth. Heng was not aboard at the time of the crash.

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    Pakistan Helicopter in Chenab River

    What: Pakistan Army helicopter en route from Gujranwala
    Where: Chenab river in Punjab, Pakistan
    When: May 23, 2012, 11:00 a.m.
    Who: 2 aboard
    Why: A pilot and trainee were on a routine training mission near Wazirabad in the two seat training helicopter when they crashed in the Chenab river 100 km from Lahore.

    Search parties came to the scene when the helicopter lost communication with ATC. Three army choppers and divers from Mangla are engaged in the search.

    The wreckage was apparently found or retrieved within six hours after the search began.

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    An-30B Crash-lands in Fiery Blaze In Cáslav


    What: Russian Air Force Antonov An-30B
    Where: Čáslav Airport, Czech Republic
    When: 23-MAY-2012
    Who: 23 aboard
    Why: On landing at Čáslav, the pilot lost control, and the plane skidded off the runway.

    There were fourteen Russians aboard, and 8 Czechs, six of whom were seriously injured. Ten ambulances and two choppers responded to the scene. Four patients were taken to Čáslav hospital with burns. Four injured were treated on the scene. One passenger with severe burns went to Vinohrady Hospital in Prague. Seven passengers and the pilot were taken by ambulance to a Cologne hospital. The emergency was declared at 11:50, and firefighters had the fire under control by 12:25. There were no casualties of the accident.

    Specialists were testing the area for radiation, which was observed in the vicinity of the plane. The plane belongs to the”Open Skies” mission. The Antonov An-30B is an aerial survey observation plane.


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    Pilot and Three Passengers Walk away from Frankenmuth Crash

    What: Kitze Aviation Inc. Piper PA-28-180 Cherokee G
    Where: Frankenmuth, MI
    When: May 20, 2012, 3:20 pm
    Who: 4 aboard
    Why: A 25 year old pilot Thomas Wolfe successfully landed the Piper in Zehnder Field after losing power.

    The pilot and one passenger got medical treatment after landing. Two others were transported to Flint’s Hurley Medical Center for treatment.

    The pilot, Thomas Wolf, 56 year old Gerald Wolfe and 57 year old Frank Tima, are from Livonia. 26-year-old Laura Richardson is from Royal Oak.

    The accident is under investigation.

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    Parachuters Perish in Skydiving Training Tragedy

    What: Padobranski klub Banja Luka Cessna 182P Skylane
    Where: Zaluzani Airport, Bosnia
    When: May 20, 2012
    Who: 5 aboard
    Why: A pilot, a skydiving instructor and three parachutists went up for a parachuting lesson. The plane they were in crashed right after takeoff. Those aboard the flight were Nemanja Goronja, Alen Crnalic, Stefan Karanovic, Nikola Stevic and Srdan Kosic.

    Witnesses attempted to use fire extinguishers, but apparently a number of them failed to operate correctly.

    Among the five victims was an eighteen year old parachutist who was aboard for his first jump. The tragic wreck occurred in front of horrified onlookers there to witness the skydiving. Firefighters, ambulance crews, and Gojko Vasic, the RS Police Director Nedeljko Lubura from Banja Luka PSC were on the scene. The parachutists were members of the Club Banjaluka.

    The accident is under investigation.

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    De Havilland Brenda Mines Crash Victims Identified

    What: de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver en route from Pitt Meadows to Okanagan Lake
    Where: Brenda Mines
    When: May 13, 2012, 6:45 p.m
    Who: three aboard, three fatalities
    Why: The plane had taken off from Pitt Meadows airport and was en route back from Okanagan lake when it went down in a wooded area below Highway 97C about seven kilometers west of the Brenda Mines Road intersection. There was a fire at the scene. Witnesses say the plane was headed toward “Peachland” possibly looking for a landing site toward Merritt when it went down.

    According to the NTSB, the accident site is about ten minutes out of Kelowna.

    A Cormorant helicopter and a Buffalo airplane, the coroner, B.C. Ambulance, Kelowna Fire Department and Kelowna RCMP responded to the scene. The plane caught fire.

    Pilot Colin Moyes, 52, and passengers Peter Keate, 81 and Inez Keate, 79 have been identified as the crash victims. The pilot had his future in-laws in the cabin. His wedding would have been June 23. He leaves behind his 11 year old son. Moyes is also survived by his fiancee and her two children. A memorial is scheduled at 2 p.m., May 27, at North Vancouver’s Pinnacle Hotel.

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    Pilots lost off the Coast of Mariveles


    a AI Marchetti SF.260TP similar to the one lost at sea
    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer

    What: Philippine Air Force SIAI Marchetti SF.260TP Warrior
    Where: Mariveles, Bataan, Philippines
    When: May 18, 2012
    Who: 2 aboard
    Why: The Philippine Air Force trainer that took off from Danilo Atienza Air Base in Sangley Point at around 6:55 a.m and failed to return was reported to have crashed in waters off Mariveles, Bataan. No distress call was made.

    Witnesses say the plane tilted sideways and nosedived into the sea, with no smoke or explosion. Some of the wreckage— fuel tank, a pilot helmet and one of the seats of the plane—was recovered at 7:30 a.m in 180 foot deep water. Coast guard divers have been searching. The missing pilots, Major Neil Tumaneng, a graduate of Philippine Military Academy (PMA) Class 1995, and his co-pilot, Lt. Michael Arugay, of PMA Class 1999, are still missing.

    The Philippines Coast Guard, the Philippine National Police, and Philippine Army found some wreckange; however a fishermen found partial remains in deep waters.

    The crash occurred near Fortune Isle, a tiny rocky island near Mariveles.

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    2 Pilots Lost in Albatross at Boulder


    What: Aero Vodochody L39 Albatross on training flight
    Where: west of Boulder City Airport
    When: May 18, 2012, 12:30
    Who: Two fatalities
    Why: When Boulder City Police Chief Thomas Finn talked about the training flight, he said, “It landed flat; it pancaked into the desert.
    After the plane crashed, the engine was still running and caught fire, burning the rear end of the aircraft.” Two of the jets had taken off in tandem but only one issued a Mayday and crashed. The jet’s tail and most of its body are still intact.

    The flight took off from Boulder City Municipal Airport.
    Emergency responders included Metro Police and Boulder City police and firefighters.

    According to the Las Vegas Sun the registered owner of the plane, Walter Woltosz of LA, was not aboard.

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    Venezuelan Helicopter Crashes with 5 aboard

    What: Venezuelan Army Mil Mi-17V5
    Where: Felipe/Sub Tenient Nestor Arias Airport, Venezuela
    When: May 18, 2012
    Who: 5 aboard, 4 fatalities, 1 injured
    Why: During training in San Felipe, the army chopper crashed, killing pilot Col. Oscar Martinez, First Lieutenant Ramses Bolivar and Ribas Daniel flight attendants, first sergeant, and Chon Billonto Ribas, Sergeant.

    Alberto Castillo was not aboard but was injured in the crash, and taken to Hospital Central de San Felipe.

    The personnel were members of the National Bolivarian Armed Forces.

    Reports are that the tail rotor failed (broke?), and the aircraft crashed to the ground from a height of ten yards.

    A special commission of inquiry was ordered by Defense Minister Henry Rangel Silva.

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    The Investigation of Sukhoi Superjet’s Crash holds Answers to Many Questions


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Egor Naumenko

    Today I read an article saying that the SuperJet that crashed on a promotional flight boils down to one question: pilot or plane? I have to disagree. It is not that simple. It takes a lot of coordinating systems to get a plane in the air, and it usually takes more than one error to take a plane down.

    If there is a problem with the plane, it is most likely the investigation will reveal it, and anything that comes out before the investigation is just speculation. (How much of the investigation will be made public often depends on the transparency policies of government, however.) So I am speculating here.

    Russian Aviation does have a lot riding on the success of this entry into the global aviation marketplace so we know it’s not a paper airplane they folded together in ten seconds or as many months. We suspect that the quality of the teams performing the design, construction, training and troubleshooting that went into the jet’s creation is about par for contemporary jet design. Which is to say the teams are probably very good. The plane has fly-by-wire technology but Sukhoi consults with Boeing on a “step-by-step project management … fully explored and translated into business reality by SCAC.”

    There are a number of problems that are coming to light with this flight.

    • Only the cockpit voice recorder was found. The FDR was not found.
    • The Emergency Locator Transmitter (which goes off, like an airbag, on hard impact) did not go off. The Sukhoi only has one(instead of two, which is the norm) Emergency Locator Transmitter which uses 121.5,203 Mhz. Indonesia receivers operate at 121.5,406 MHZ
    • The Terrain map is recorded in the panes database and shows on a display in vertical and horizontal forms. (Did this plane, which was a substitute plane) have an updated terrain map?)
    • The Enhanced Ground Proximity Warning System/EGPWS should have gone off with terrain warnings after descending to 6000 feet, and these warnings should be in the black box. Wait…no black box was found.
    • Was this substitute plane compliant with all airworthiness guidelines and laws?
    • Multifunctional Transport Satellites (MTSAT) data revealed that the weather on the Salak Mountain at the time was bad. Cloud and raincover at Salak Mountain was 100 percent.
    • The Halim-Pelabuhan Ratu flight plan was considered safe, but on descent to 6000 feet, the pilot detoured from the flight plan.

    Sometimes investigations take the easy path and just blame the pilot. I’ve seen happen a hundred times before, when the pilot was blamed simply because he was not longer able to defend his actions. And while pilots are only human, and sometimes do make mistakes, sometimes those mistakes are caused by corporate pressures, pressure to meet deadlines, fuel quotas, scheduling, etc. What is pressure of corporate expectations on a joy flight pilot? Do we know if he was under orders to showcase the plane’s agility, possibly even to make the very move that crashed the plane?

    The pilot, 57 year old Alexander Yablontzev was experienced. He was Sukhoi’s chief test pilot and had spent more than 14 thousand hours flying. After retiring as Lieutenant Colonel from the Russian Air Force, he flew for Transaero and had a lot of hours. But the fatal flight was his first time flying in Indonesia. Did the crash occur because he was flying a strange, possibly wrongly mapped terrain, and recklessly “buzzing” the peak of Mount Salak to show off the plane’s versatility?

    No answers here. I’m just saying that the question is not so simply put.

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    Microlight Trike Injures Two in Wyalong


    What: Microlight
    Where: West Wyalong Australia
    When: May 18 2012
    Who: 2 aboard, 0 fatalities
    Why: Two men were aboard a trike style microlight which crashed in a paddock south of West Wyalong. A 35-year-old local man with pelvis and spinal injuries was airlifted to Canberra Hospital. A 27 year old man had lacerated leg injuries.

    Police established a crime scene at the Wargin Road location but ATSB is not investigating.

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    Ultralight Crash in Croatia Kills 2

    What: Aviasud Mistral
    Where: near Rogotin in the Neretva river valley, Croatia
    When: May 16, 2012 8.45 pm
    Who: 2 aboard, 2 fatalities
    Why: The ultralight was flying low just above the wires and planting bait for rabid foxes when it crashed in a tangerine field near the mouth of the Neretva. 57 year old Stjepan (Stephen) Vlahovica-Pace and 24 year old Matea Bebic aboard were killed in the crash. Vlahovica owned the plane. Matea was an aeronautical engineer.

    The ambulance driver who was first on the scene was Vlahovica’s brother Nado.

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    Agni Air Crash Fatalities sent to Kathmandu


    Identification of the 15 victims of the Agni Air Crash in Nepal is going to be a difficult task, due to the condition of the remains.

    The six survivors have been hospitalized in from critical to serious condition. A six year old, and a nine year old along with their father, are among the survivors. They are hospitalized Pokhara. Their father is in ICU and may survive.

    Among the dead is the Rasna girl, actress Taruni Sachdev, Sanam Sundhar, G Raman, Latha Ethambai, mother of two children who survived and Swarnalakshmi.

    After autopsy, the bodies of the victims will be handed over to their families. Everyone on the flight had visited the Iskcon temple at Chowpatty and were on their way to the Muktinath temple in Nepal, when the pilot turned with plane trouble, his intent to return to Pokhara Airport, and his wing struck a muddy slope, crashing the plane.