In a tragic development, Saurya Airlines aircraft on Wednesday crashed during takeoff at the Tribhuvan International Airport in Nepal's Kathmandu. There were 19 people on board when the Saurya Airlines aircraft crash took place. 19 people including air staff were aboard the Pokhara-bound plane which met with the accident at around 11 am. Out of 19 people on board, 18 died and only the pilot was the sole survivor in the deadly Nepal Plane Crash. Now, the question arises who is the pilot in Nepal Plane crash & how did he miraculously survive?
Who is the pilot in the Nepal Plane Accident?
The pilot who is the sole survivor in the Nepal plane crash has been identified as Manish Ratna Shakya. As per Saurya Airlines, Manish Shakya is the chief of operations at the airline. Manish Shakya's LinkedIn profile reveals that he joined Saurya Airlines in December 2014 and has been a part of the company for more than nine-and-a-half years. He earlier flew for Simrik Airlines for nearly three years. Shakya's post at Saurya Airlines is 'Director of Flight Operations'.
How did pilot Manish Shakya survive the Nepal Plane Crash?
During the Nepal plane crash, Shakya was flying a CRJ200 aircraft that took off from Tribhuvan International Airport carrying two crew members and 17 technicians to the city of Pokhara for maintenance checks.
However, moments after takeoff, the plane “turned right and crashed on the east side of the runway”. 18 passengers, including a Yemeni national, and a child, were killed. Notably, every other passengers & crews on board were killed but the pilot managed to survive miraculously. Rescuers at the crash site reportedly said that they were able to reach Captain Shakya just as the flick of flames neared the cockpit section of the aircraft.
SSP Nepal Dambar was quoted by a British media informing that the pilot pulled out the moment before the fire would have reached the cockpit. "He was facing difficulty to breathe as the air shield was open. We broke the window and immediately pulled him out," said Dambar Bishwakarma as quoted by a UK media adding, "He had blood all over his face when he was rescued but we took him to the hospital in a condition where he could speak."
Pilot Manish Shakya is currently undergoing treatment and has sustained eye injuries.
Nepal’s Civil Aviation Minister Badri Pandey gave an insight Nepal Plane Crash reason. Pandey was quoted saying, "It (Plane) hit a container on the edge of the airport… then, it fell further below. The cockpit, however, remained stuck inside the container. This is how the captain survived...The other part of the plane crashed into a nearby mound and it tore into pieces. The entire area away from the region where the cockpit fell down caught fire and everything was burnt."