A government official who was on board a Simrik Air helicopter that caught fire in Gorkha district on Monday has blamed the pilot for the accident.
The helicopter (9N AK) had overturned and caught fire shortly after it landed near Samdo village of Gorkha district. However, all four passengers and the pilot Surendra Poudel managed to flee to safety.
Narayan Prasad Acharya, one of the passengers who survived the accident, said the pilot Poudel could not identify the safe spot to land the helicopter. National News Agency quoted him as saying: "He (the pilot) landed the chopper on a slope, which caused the accident."
Acharya, Chief of Gorkha Division Office of Drinking Water and Sanitation, said, "The pilot mistakenly landed the helicopter on a wrong spot, he wanted to fly it again but failed."
However, Simrik Air has said that the pilot was not mistaken, and he landed the helicopter on a slope after being hit by a bird.
Amal Tuladhar, Bishwa Shrestha and Surav Rraj Chettri were also on board. They had flown to Gorkha from Kathmandu. They have been rescued to Kathmandu by a Manang Air helicopter.
"The helicopter was engulfed in flames for almost an hour, there was no way we could douse the fire," said Acharya.
The helicopter was carrying government officials to Samagaun village, some three hours walk from Samdo village.