What happened
Shortly after departing from Surkhet Airport, an aircraft began its climb toward an altitude of 5,800 feet. Approximately four minutes into the flight, the captain communicated with Air Traffic Control to report favorable flying conditions and indicated intentions to exit the valley. One minute later, while operating within cloud cover, the aircraft collided with a mountain slope situated at an elevation of 6,300 feet, located a short distance from the airport.
The wreckage was subsequently located 500 feet below the peak of the mountain. The accident resulted in three fatalities, with no survivors among the crew members.
Findings
Investigations into the crash determined that the flight was being conducted under Visual Flight Rules (VFR) when the aircraft entered clouds, which significantly reduced visibility. The primary factor in the collision was a discrepancy in altimeter readings. At the moment of impact, the captain's altimeter indicated an altitude of 7,350 feet, whereas the actual altitude of the aircraft was only 5,800 feet. This error led to controlled flight into terrain.