Cargo Flight Collision with Mountain Near Simikot Pass (9N-AJU)

Incident Overview and Timeline A single-engine aircraft departed Surkhet Airport at 0612 local time on a cargo flight to Simikot. At 0627 local time, the crew made their last radio transmission with Nepalgunj Tower. Approximately 18 minutes later, while cruising at night at an altitude of 12,800 feet, the aircraft struck the slope of a mountain near the Simikot Pass, located about 12 kilometers from Simikot Airport. The aircraft disintegrated on impact, and both crew members were killed. ## Probable Cause and Contributing Factors The official investigation determined that the most probable cause of the accident was the decision to continue the flight despite unfavorable weather conditions. This resulted in inadvertent flight into instrument meteorological conditions and a deviation from the normal track due to loss of situational awareness. The loss of situational awareness aggravated spatial disorientation, leading to a controlled flight into terrain (CFIT) accident. Contributing factors identified by the commission included the possible effect of hypoxia due to prolonged flight at high altitude without oxygen supplementation. Additionally, ineffective safety management by the company was cited, which prevented the organization from identifying and correcting latent deficiencies in risk management and inadequacies in pilot training.