Nepal crash: Airport had no instrument landing system

By SHEIKH SAALIQ
Associated Press

NEW DELHI (AP) — An official in Nepal says the new airport where a Yeti Airlines plane was attempting to land when it crashed over the weekend, killing all 72 on board, did not have a functioning instrument landing system that guides planes to the runway. Aviation safety experts say that reflects the Himalayan country’s poor air safety record, although the cause of the accident has not been determined. A spokesperson for Nepal’s Civil Aviation Authority says Pokhara International Airport’s instrument landing system will not be working until Feb. 26 — 56 days after the airport began operations on Jan. 1. Some aviation experts say video taken from the ground of the plane’s last moments indicated it went into a stall, although it’s unclear why.