The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) indicated that it had recovered the Flight Data Recorder (FDR) and Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR), the so-called black boxes, from the wreckage of a Yeti Airlines ATR 72 that crashed in Nepal on January 15, 2023.
According to CAAN’s latest statement, of the 72 people on board, 69 bodies have been found. 41 victims have been identified by authorities so far.
Rescue efforts were hindered by the difficult terrain, including the fact that the aircraft crashed inside a gorge.
On January 15, 2023, the Yeti Airlines ATR 72, registered as 9N-ANC, was operating flight YT691 from Kathmandu Tribhuvan International Airport (KTM) to Pokhara International Airport (PKR), when the turboprop stalled on final approach and crashed into a gorge ahead of the runway at PKR. Footage of the incident showed the aircraft steeply banking left just seconds before its contact with the ground.
The newly built international airport replaced the old Pokhara Airport, which was decommissioned on January 1, 2023.
Meanwhile, Yeti Airlines canceled all of its flights on January 16, 2023. The carrier owns a fleet of six ATR 72s, including the one that crashed.
In a statement published on Twitter on January 15, ATR, the manufacturer of the aircraft, said that its specialists “are fully engaged to support both the investigation and the customer”.