What happened
On 14 April 2019, at approximately 03:22 hours, a L410UPV-E20 aircraft, registration 9N-AMH, operated by Summit Air Pvt. Ltd., was performing a takeoff roll from runway 24 at Tenzing-Hillary Airport in Lukla. Shortly after the takeoff roll began, the aircraft veered to the right and exited the runway surface. The aircraft traveled across a grassy area before striking the airport's inner perimeter fence.
Following the excursion, the aircraft continued to skid into the upper helipad area, where it collided with a Manang Air AS350B3e helicopter, registration 9N-ALC, which was idling on the pad. The impact of the aircraft's right-hand wing struck two security personnel on the ground and subsequently severed the helicopter's rotor shaft. The force of the collision caused the helicopter to topple onto a lower helipad. The aircraft then struck a second helicopter, a Shree Airlines AS350B3e, registration 9N-ALK, causing the second helicopter to shift laterally.
There was no fire following the impact. The pilot and cabin crew of 9N-AMH successfully evacuated the aircraft via the emergency exit. While the crew of the second helicopter escaped with minor injuries, the collision resulted in 3 fatalities: the co-pilot of the aircraft and two security personnel on the ground.
Findings
Initial evidence from CCTV footage and wreckage examination indicates that the aircraft veered right and exited the runway within three seconds of the takeoff roll commencing. The aircraft and the helicopter 9N-ALC both sustained substantial damage due to the impact forces.