The Dornier DO-228 ‘9N-AJH’ aircraft belonging to Sita Air was forced to make an emergency diversion after the crew encountered malfunction on the right engine at above northern airspace of Phaplu, today morning.
The flight 603 took off from Kathmandu at around 10:45 PM to Lukla from Kathmandu carrying 12 passengers and 3 crew member on board.
General Manager of Sita Air admitted that the aircraft experienced abnormal pressure reading on the engine RPM(Revolutions per minute) during the flight to Lukla which forced the flight crew to carry out the precautionary engine shut down procedure; Shutting down the right engine.
The flight 603 was diverted back to Kathmandu from Lukla and was safely landed at around 11:45 am with no report of any casualties. The aircraft was under the command of Captain Robin Gauchan, F/O Subash Panthi and Cabin Crew Samicha Khadka.
The Dornier D0-228 is a twin-engine turbo prop aircraft, proficient of conveying up to 19 passengers or various cargos. It is motorized by a pair of Garrett TPE331 turboprop engines. The D0-228 is commonly categorized as a Short Takeoff and Landing (STOL)-capable aircraft, being capable of functioning from rough runways and in hot climates, this capability has been largely credited to the type’s supercritical wing which generates large amounts of lift at slow speeds.
The D0-228 is typically endorsed for its versatility, low operational costs, and a high level of reliability – retaining a dispatch reliability of 99%. No other aircraft in the same class may transport as much cargo or as many passengers over an analogous distance as fast as the DO-228.
