Nepal aircraft that crashed had no thrust motion in engines before landing, says panel

KATHMANDU - An aircraft that crashed in Nepal in January,

killing 71 people on board,

had no thrust motion in its engines in the final leg of its descent, said a government-appointed panel investigating the accident on Monday.

The plane crashed just before landing in the city of Pokhara on Jan 15, in one of Nepal’s worst airplane accidents in 30 years.

There were 72 people on board the twin-engine ATR 72 aircraft operated by Nepal’s Yeti Airlines, including two infants and 10 foreigners. Rescuers recovered 71 bodies, with one unaccounted and presumed to be dead.

Analysis of the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder showed that the propellers of both engines went into “feather in the base leg of descending”, the panel said in a statement.

Aviation expert K.B. Limbu said propellers going into feather means there was “no thrust” in the engine, or that it did not produce any power. REUTERS