The crew of the Yeti Airlines ATR 72 was completing their third flight of the day between Kathmandu, Nepal, and Pokhara when they lost control during their final approach to Pokhara International Airport and the airplane struck the ground, killing all 68 passengers and four crewmembers.
Nepal’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Commission said in its final report on the Jan. 15, 2023, accident that the probable cause was the inadvertent feathering of both propellers on the ATR 72-212A version 500 and the subsequent loss of thrust, which led to an aerodynamic stall and collision with terrain.
The report cited six contributing factors, including the heavy workload associated with operating into the new airport, which had opened just two weeks earlier for visual flight rules flights only, “and the crew missing the associated flight deck and engine indications that both propellers had been feathered.” The report also cited “human factor issues such as high workload a…
