A Buddha Air flight from Kathmandu to Biratnagar landed in Kathmandu about two hours after the landing gear was not opened. Buddha Air’s 9N-ANI flight that flew from Kathmandu to Biratnagar at 8:33 am returned to Kathmandu after making two turns in the sky of Biratnagar.
Buddha Air has stated that it had to return to Kathmandu after encountering a left main landing gear problem. The plane landed safely at Tribhuvan International Airport at 10:16 am, said Purna Chudal, head of the airport’s internal terminal. The aircraft was held in the sky of Kathmandu for 24 minutes.
The airport was closed for half an hour to allow the aircraft to land in Kathmandu.
Similarly, the captain and engineer of Buddha Air watched the aircraft’s landing gear open or not from the tower in Kathmandu. The pilot of the aircraft was advised to land after seeing the gear open from the binoculars. Considering the possibility of an emergency landing, the aircraft flew several times in Kathmandu to reduce fuel.
Also, Nepal Police, Armed Police Force, and Nepal Army Fire Brigade were present at the airport to prepare for the emergency landing. But Buddha Air has stated that it was an ‘assurance landing’ and not an emergency landing. The pilot landed the aircraft after ensuring that the landing gear was open from the tower and that it could land safely.
Captain AG Sherpa commanded the aircraft. There were 73 passengers and four crew members on board. According to the airport office, the passengers will be examined and transferred to another aircraft in Biratnagar.
Buddha Air is going to form a committee to investigate today’s incident. The committee will submit its report to the regulatory body, the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal, regarding the investigation. Similarly, CAAN will also conduct a separate investigation.
Meanwhile, another Buddha Air flight bound for Pokhara on Monday returned to Kathmandu after finding technical problems in the indicator when it reached Manakamana in Gorkha.
