-KATHMANDU
Simrik Air, a private helicopter company carried out the sling operation of crashed Makalu Air Cessna 208B aircraft debris to Simikot Airport.
Owing to the fact that the operation can only be implemented by a Nepalese helicopter capable of flying to higher altitude, Simrik Air deployed its AS350 B3e helicopters on an immediate basis on a special request of the airlines. The airlines did the job after getting necessary permissions to carry out the sling mission from CAA Nepal with the authorized Nepalese Crews.
The Makalu Air Cessna 208B aircraft was en-route from Surkhet at 06:15 hour’s local time on a domestic cargo flight to Simikot dated May 16, 2018. Captain Kiran Bhattrai and Co-Pilot Adhitya Nepali were on the Flight deck taking the command of the aircraft. The aircraft went missing for four hours and crashed at the mountainside of Simikot Pass at an altitude of 12,800 feet.
The H125 (AS-350B3e) is driven by a Turbomeca Arriel 2D turboshaft engine and is well known for its capacity to fly at the high altitude about (23,000 feet AMSL) all over the world. The chopper has also proved its capability in Nepal especially in mountain regions. It has the capacity of 6 seaters excluding pilot and performs flawlessly in Aerial Sightseeing, Mountain Flights, Rescue Evacuation, Corporate Charter, Sling Operations, High altitude operations and other special adventure missions. It is a member of Airbus’ Ecureuil family, which has accumulated more than 30 million flight hours worldwide.
