A major plane accident was averted in Nepal on Friday evening. A Buddha Air passenger plane skidded off the runway while landing at Bhadrapur Airport and came to rest in a nearby grassy field. Fortunately, all 51 passengers and four crew members on board are safe and no injuries were reported.
According to the Kathmandu Post, Buddha Air flight 901 took off from Kathmandu at 8:23 pm local time. Captain Shailesh Limbu was flying the plane. After a 45-minute flight, the plane was scheduled to land at Bhadrapur Airport in Jhapa district at around 9:08 pm. During landing, the plane suddenly lost balance and crossed the runway and landed on a grassy area on the side.
As soon as the plane left the runway, panic gripped the passengers and a momentary panic prevailed. However, due to the pilot and crew’s presence of mind, the situation was handled effectively and no major mishap occurred. Jhapa Chief District Officer (CDO) Shivaram Gelal confirmed that no passengers or crew members were injured in the incident. All passengers were safely evacuated from the plane. An
official statement issued by Buddha Air stated that a team of experts from Kathmandu has been sent to Bhadrapur for a technical inspection of the aircraft. According to initial information, the plane was the last flight on that sector. It was scheduled to remain at Bhadrapur Airport overnight and return to Kathmandu as the first flight the next morning.
Currently, efforts are underway to remove the plane from the runway so that airport operations can resume normally. It is also being investigated whether the accident was caused by a technical fault, weather conditions, or a runway-related issue. The Civil Aviation Authority and airline authorities are conducting a detailed investigation into the entire incident.