2024 Saurya Airlines Bombardier CRJ200 crash

On 24 July 2024, a Bombardier CRJ200 operated by Saurya Airlines crashed shortly after takeoff from Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu, Nepal, killing 18 out of the 19 people on board. The aircraft was operating a ferry flight to Pokhara to conduct a maintenance check and was carrying three crew members and sixteen passengers, mostly consisting of Saurya employees. During takeoff, the aircraft rapidly rolled both left and right before losing altitude. The right wing collided with the ground to the side of the runway and the aircraft was destroyed by the impact and post-crash fire. The captain was the sole survivor of the crash.

The investigation, conducted by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Commission, determined that the aircraft rotated at an airspeed lower than optimal and the captain commanded an abnormally high pitch rate. The result was a deep stall during takeoff that was unrecoverable due to the aircraft's low altitude. Several other contributing factors were also noted by investigators. The V-speeds the crew used were based on an erroneous speedcard that displayed incorrect values. Multiple events at Saurya Airlines involving high pitch rates during takeoff were left unidentified and unaddressed. The loading process of the cargo was negligent; operational and ground handling manuals were violated and the load was not secured. Saurya Airlines suspended all flights following the crash.

Accident

On 24 July 2024, Saurya Airlines planned to fly the aircraft from Tribhuvan International Airport to Pokhara International Airport with flight number SAU-FER. First Officer Katuwal was the first crew member to enter the aircraft and he started preparing the aircraft for the flight. Saurya Airline personnel and ground staff loaded the cargo bay completely full. They also loaded the cabin with passenger baggage and other equipment. At 10:08 Nepal Standard Time (NPT, UTC+05:45), the first officer began performing pre-flight checks. Thirty minutes later, the flight dispatcher gave details on the weight and balance of the aircraft, which Katuwal used to calculate the V-speeds. Captain Shakya arrived in the cockpit at 10:40. For the next 20 minutes, the crew and other people on board had discussions relating to the planned maintenance check, the destination airport, and other topics not related to the safety of the flight. The engine start-up procedure began at 11:02.

The pilots began taxiing the aircraft to the threshold of Runway 02. The aircraft entered runway 02, backtracked and began the take-off roll at 11:10:35. Twenty seconds later, Shakya began rotating at an airspeed of 120 kn and the pitch rapidly increased to 13° and the roll subsequently increased to 26° right. The aircraft reached an airspeed of 131 kn and 11 ft before the stick shaker activated at the same time as the ground proximity warning system. It subsequently rolled left to 55° while maintaining a pitch of 15°. The stick pusher pushed on both control columns and the aircraft pitched down. The roll then reversed and increased to 94.6° right. The right wing first collided with the ground next to the runway and disintegrated on impact. The fuselage of the aircraft slid 1000 ft further into a gorge located east of the runway, between an aircraft hangar and a radar station.

Firefighting vehicles first arrived at the crash site one minute and forty seconds after the accident and started spraying water on the wreckage. The cockpit was separated from the main fuselage by an Air Dynasty container just before the main body struck the ground. The cockpit became lodged in the container, while the rest of the aircraft continued to slide further down the gorge. Rescue crews were able to extract Captain Shakya from the cockpit. He suffered serious although non-life threatening injuries and was taken to Kathmandu Medical College. He was the sole survivor of the crash; the 18 other people on board died of blunt force trauma and burn injuries.

Accident flight

The AAIC discovered multiple factors related to the accident and its severity. As the passengers did not follow normal check-in procedures, the true weight of the cargo was unknown. The cockpit voice recorder (CVR) captured a discussion on the weight of the aircraft among the flight crew, maintenance personnel, and ground personnel. Saurya Airlines ground personnel estimated of the weight of the baggage was 600 kg, and the estimated weight of the entire aircraft was 18,137 kg. Investigators later determined the true weight of the aircraft using data from the flight data recorder (FDR) and came to a correct weight of 18,300 kg±200 kg. Both the estimated and actual weight rounded up to 18,500 kg, so First Officer Katawal calculated the V-speeds using the card corresponding to an aircraft weight of 18,500 kg. The V-speeds cards at Saurya Airlines were created by the airline using data from the aircraft manufacturer, Bombardier. Using the card, he determined a V1 speed of 114 kn, a VR speed of 118 kn, and a V2 speed of 126 kn. However, the V-speed card for a takeoff weight of 18,500 kg was identical to the card for a 17,500 kg takeoff weight. The actual V1, VR, and V2 speeds were 117 kn, 122 kn, and 127 kn. This error was not noticed by anyone at the airline since at least 2017.