Co-pilot of the Yeti Airlines plane that crashed Sunday in Nepal She was the widow of a pilot who flew on the same airline, and also died in a plane crash 16 years earlier.
In 2010, Anju Khatiwada joined Yeti Airlines, following in her husband’s footsteps. Dipak Pokerel also flew for Nepal Airlines, but died when a small passenger plane he was in crashed minutes before it was to land.
Khatiwada was the co-pilot of the flight from Kathmandu that crashed on approach to the city of Pokhara on Sunday, killing at least 68 people in the deadliest aircraft accident in the Himalayan country in three decades.
No survivors have been found so far among the 72 people on board.
“Her husband, Dipak Pokherle, died in 2006 in the crash of Yeti Airlines’ Otter twin plane in Jumla,” airline spokesperson Sudarshan Partola told Reuters, referring to Khatiwada. “She got pilot training with the money she got from the insurance after her husband died.”
A pilot with more than 6,400 flying hours, Bartola said, he had previously flown the popular tourist route from the capital, Kathmandu, to Pokhara, the country’s second-largest city.
The body of the flight captain, Kamal Kavkaz Center, was recovered and identified.
Pertola said Kathiwada has not been identified but her death is feared.
“On Sunday, she was flying the plane with a trained pilot, which is standard procedure for the airline,” said a Yeti Airlines official, who knew Khatiwada personally.
“She was always ready to take on any assignment and had traveled to Pokhara earlier,” said the official, who asked not to be named as he was not authorized to speak to the media.
Reuters was not immediately able to reach any of her family members.
The ATR-72 that Khatiwada was flying It rolled from side to side before crashing into a gorge near Pokhara Airport It caught fire, according to eyewitness accounts and A.J Post the video of the incident on social media.
The cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder from the plane, which may help investigators determine why it crashed in clear weather, It was recovered on Monday.
Nearly 350 people have died in plane or helicopter crashes in Nepal since 2000. The country is home to eight of the 14 highest mountains in the world, including Mount Everest, and sudden weather changes can lead to dangerous conditions.
“Subtly charming student. Pop culture junkie. Creator. Amateur music specialist. Beer fanatic.”