On 31 May, an Mi-17 belonging to Asian Airlines Helicopters of Nepal = crashed (presumably). Up until this time, the helicopter still hasn't = been found. I have only just become aware of this incident myself, so am = posting a chronicle of some Nepalese newspapers articles over the last = week dealing with this issue. The helicopter involved is 9N-ACU, and Asian Airlines website is = http://www.asianhelicopter.com/ Photo of this helicopter is at = http://www.cyberdanmark.dk/cda/jomsomairlines/asian_airlines001.jpg or = at http://www.airliners.net/open.file/122736/L/ ------- 10 missing in chopper mystery Post Report KATHMANDU, May 31 An MI-17 helicopter of Asian Airlines carrying 10 persons including four = crew members went missing Friday morning, according to officials at the = Rescue Co-ordination Centre at the Tribhuvan International Airport. The chopper left Makalu Base Camp for Lukla airport, both in Solukhumbu = district. Its last contact was made at 10.02 a.m., nine minutes after = its take off, Tirthaman Singh Dangol, acting Air Traffic Controller = (ATC) told The Kathmandu Post. Among the crew were pilot A Grevenikov = and engineer A Gumar, both Russians. The rest are all Nepalis. The exact cause of the helicopter going missing and the fate of those on = board is still uncertain. According to Dangol, two rescue helicopters = from Karnali Air and Simrik Air, sent from Kathmandu and Biratnagar, = could not reach the site due to bad weather. The rescue operation would = resume tomorrow. The ATC also said that both the army and the police = were assisting in the rescue operation. ---------- Informant of missing coptor to get Rs 100,000 By A Staff Reporter Kathmandu, June 5: The cash reward for anyone providing information = about the missing helicopter has been increased to Rs. 100,000. The fate = of the helicopter belonging to Asian Airlines, which went missing since = last Friday, is still unknown, and the search has been constantly = hampered by bad weather.=20 The Search and Rescue Coordination Centre at the Tribhuvan International = Airport said that today's aerial search was hampered by bad weather. = Today three helicopters were used for the aerial search since 5:0 = o'clock in the morning, but it had to be called off in the afternoon = because of unfavourable weather. The ground search consisting of professional trekkers has been = mobilised. But, they too have been unable to locate the missing = aircraft. The Russian-built MI-8 heli-copter went off the radar screen = just 10 minutes after it left Makalu base camp for Lukla. The helicopter = had 10 people aboard, including four crew members, two of whom were = Russians. ------------ Asian Airlines chopper yet to be located=20 By A Staff Reporter Kathmandu, June 6: The missing helicopter of the Asian Airlines is still = not found. The Search and Research Coordination Centre at the Tribhuvan = International Airport said the search was hampered by bad weather and = the two helicopters, which were mobilised for aerial search, had to = abandon their work in the afternoon. The Centre said the ground search = is continuing. ------------- Search for missing chopper continues=20 Search for the Russian built missing helicopter continued for the tenth = day today without making any headway to trace its whereabouts, according to the Civil Aviation = Authorities.=20 The ill fated helicopter carrying four crewmembers and six passengers, = all working for different trekking companies went missing nine minutes = after taking off from the Makalu base.=20 The helicopter was bound for Lukla in Solukhumbu district. nepalnews.com = am June 9 -------------- Search for missing chopper to be stepped up In the wake of complaints from the passenger's relatives that the = government had not been serious enough to look for the missing Russian = helicopter, Tourism Minister Bal Bahadur KC acquired information from = the concerned officials on the search operation concerning the 9N-ACU = helicopter belonging to Asian Airlines. The helicopter carrying four crewmembers and six passengers had gone = missing nine minutes after taking off from the Makalu base on May 31. It = was heading for Lukla airport. Minister KC also called a meeting to trace the whereabouts of the = helicopter as soon as possible. nepalnews.com am June 9
