Nepal co-pilot's husband also died in plane crash 16 years previously - BBC

The co-pilot of the ill-fated formation that crashed successful Nepal connected Sunday mislaid her hubby successful a level clang 16 years earlier, it has emerged.

Anju Khatiwada was co-piloting Yeti airlines formation 691 erstwhile it smashed into a gorge adjacent the tourer municipality of Pokhara, sidesplitting each connected committee successful the country's worst aerial catastrophe successful 30 years.

Her hubby Dipak Pokhrel had besides been co-piloting a Yeti Airlines formation erstwhile helium died - and it was his decease that spurred Anju to prosecute a vocation successful aviation.

Distraught astatine her loss, unsocial with their young child, Anju's grief became her motivating force.

"She was a determined pistillate who stood for her dreams and fulfilled the dreams of her husband," household subordinate Santosh Sharma said.

Dipak was successful the cockpit of a Twin Otter prop level which was carrying atom and nutrient to the occidental municipality of Jumla erstwhile it came down and burst into flames successful June 2006, sidesplitting each 9 radical connected board.

Four years aboriginal Anju was connected the way to becoming a pilot, overcoming galore obstacles to bid successful the US. Once qualified, she joined Yeti Airlines.

A trailblazer, Anju was 1 of conscionable six women employed by the hose arsenic pilots, and had flown adjacent to 6,400 hours.

"She was a afloat skipper astatine the hose who had done solo flights," Sudarshan Bartaula from Yeti Airlines said. "She was a brave woman.'

Anju aboriginal remarried and had a 2nd kid arsenic she continued to physique her career. Friends and household accidental she adored her job, and was a delight to beryllium around.

At the clang tract successful Pokhara, parts of the level Anju was co-piloting laic scattered connected the banks of the River Seti, strewn similar battered pieces of a breached toy. A tiny conception of the craft rested connected the gorge, windows intact and the greenish and yellowish of Yeti Airlines inactive visible.

This week's calamity has reignited a speech astir hose information successful the Himalayan nation, which has seen hundreds dice successful aerial accidents successful caller decades.

Over the years, a fig of factors person been blamed for Nepal's mediocre airlines information record. The upland terrain and often unpredictable upwind tin beryllium tricky to navigate, and are often cited arsenic reasons. But others constituent to outdated aircraft, lax regulations and mediocre oversight arsenic as important factors.

It's inactive unclear what caused Sunday's crash.

Outside the infirmary successful Pokhara, families of those killed waited for the bodies of their relatives to beryllium released aft their station mortems had been completed.

In the bitter acold January air, Bhimsen Ban said helium was hoping helium could instrumentality his person Nira backmost to her colony soon truthful her past rites could beryllium performed.

Nira Chantyal, 21, was a vocalist who often flew with Yeti Airlines. Low outgo aerial question has go an affordable and fashionable mode for the country's mediate people to traverse the mountainous nation.

Nira, who had moved to Kathmandu, had been connected the combat connected her mode to execute astatine a euphony festival successful Pokhara.

"She was a precise talented artist, and utilized to sing people songs. She would often sing spontaneously," Bhimsen said, his eyes reddish from crying.

"I person nary words to picture the loss."

Additional reporting: Rajneesh Bhandari, Andrew Clarance.