KATHMANDU: A Buddha Air aircraft narrowly avoided a major accident on Monday after experiencing an engine flame-out mid-flight.
The flight, heading from Kathmandu to Bhadrapur in Jhapa, encountered the issue shortly after takeoff when the left engine showed signs of flame-out and failure.
The aircraft was forced to make an emergency return to Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA).
The aircraft was carrying 72 passengers and four crew members.
It took off from Kathmandu at 10:37 am and was 43 nautical miles east of the airport when the left engine malfunctioned.
According to Jagannath Niraula, the General Manager of the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) at TIA, the single-engine aircraft declared an emergency and navigated back to Kathmandu.
The plane made a safe landing at 11:15 am using the VOR approach, a navigational procedure aided by ground-based radio signals, which helped guide the aircraft to align with the runway.
Niraula confirmed that all passengers and crew members were unharmed.
Following the incident, CAAN announced plans to investigate the cause of the engine failure.
Passengers from the affected flight were later transferred to another aircraft to continue their journey to Bhadrapur.
What is VOR landing?
VOR, or Very High-Frequency Omnidirectional Range, is a ground-based navigation system that provides signals to help pilots align their aircraft with the runway.
This method, often referred to as manual landing, is especially useful when visibility is poor, ensuring safer landings.
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