2015 Charikot helicopter crash

Aviation accident in Nepal 2015 Charikot helicopter crash Bringing shelter.jpg 1.1 U.S. Marines and Nepalese Army personnel unloading supplies from a UH-1Y similar to the one involved. Accident 2015 05 12 y Visual flight into IMC Charikot, Nepal Bell UH-1Y Venom United States Marine Corps Vengeance 01 168792 SE-08 Dolakha District, Nepal Kathmandu, Nepal 13 9 4 13 0 On 12 May 2015, a US Marine Corps Bell UH-1Y Venom of Camp Pendleton-based HMLA-469 squadron crashed in the Charikot region of Nepal during Operation Sahayogi Haat, a humanitarian relief effort following the earthquake that had struck the region earlier. All 13 occupants were killed.http://www.helis.com/database/accidents/ Helicopter Accidents – Helicopter Database helis.com 9 July 2015 16 July 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150716224617/http://www.helis.com/database/accidents/? live Accident The following is a statement from PACOM: "On 12 May, at approximately 10 p.m. JST, a UH-1Y Huey with Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 469 in support of Joint Task Force 505 was declared missing while supporting Operation Sahayogi Haat." Nepal's army, struggling with the aftermath of a 7.8-magnitude earthquake that hit on 25 April, had deployed about 400 troops into rocky, forested terrain after the US helicopter was reported missing.https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/may/15/wreckage-us-military-helicopter-found-nepal Wreckage of US military helicopter found in Nepal TheGuardian.com 15 May 2015 October 9, 2017 A news release from III Marine Expeditionary Force, based in Okinawa, Japan stated that the chosen route, which may have been made because one or more of the injured was in need of urgent treatment, took the UH-1Y Huey helicopter for a brief period over unfamiliar terrain in unstable weather.https://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/your-marine-corps/2015/11/09/marines-release-findings-of-fatal-nepal-helo-crash/ Marines release findings of fatal Nepal helo crash Marine Corps Times 9 November 2015 9 October 2017 10 October 2017 https://web.archive.org/web/20171010005733/https://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/your-marine-corps/2015/11/09/marines-release-findings-of-fatal-nepal-helo-crash/ live The helicopter crashed in rugged terrain about 8 miles north of Charikot on a mission to evacuate casualties caused by the April 2015 Nepal earthquake.https://edition.cnn.com/2015/05/17/asia/us-helicopter-found-nepal/index.html Marines died helping hard-to-reach quake victims CNN 17 May 2015 9 October 2017 10 October 2017 https://web.archive.org/web/20171010005919/http://edition.cnn.com/2015/05/17/asia/us-helicopter-found-nepal/index.html live Aircraft The helicopter had arrived in Nepal on May 5. As part of Operation Sahayogi Haat, the U.S. military contributed three Marine Corps UH-1Y Huey helicopters, four Marine Corps MV-22B Osprey tiltrotor aircraft, four Air Force C-17 Globemaster III, four Air Force C-130 Hercules and four Marine Corps KC-130J Hercules aircraft to the relief effort.https://www.marines.mil/News/NewsDisplay/tabid/3258/Article/589642/jtf-505-deactivates-after-operation-sahayogi-haat.aspx JTF 505 deactivates after Operation Sahayogi Haat May 26, 2015 Marines U.S. Marine Corps May 29, 2015 Passengers and crew The flight crew comprised US Marine officers as pilots and several enlisted members, including two Combat Camera Marines.https://www.marines.mil/News/News-Display/Article/611109/marine-victims-from-nepal-added-to-defense-information-school-hall-of-heroes/ Updated: Marine Victims from Nepal added to DINFOS school Hall of Heroes DVIDS 14 Nov 2020 15 November 2020 https://web.archive.org/web/20201115145042/http://www.marines.mil/News/News-Display/Article/611109/marine-victims-from-nepal-added-to-defense-information-school-hall-of-heroes/ live Also aboard were two Nepalese soldiers and five injured civilians in need of urgent treatment.http://news.usni.org/2015/05/12/marine-uh-1y-helicopter-missing-in-nepal Updated: Marine UH-1Y Helicopter Missing in Nepal, Aerial Search to Begin at Daybreak USNI News 12 May 2015 9 July 2015 10 July 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150710051523/http://news.usni.org/2015/05/12/marine-uh-1y-helicopter-missing-in-nepal livehttp://www.oafnation.com/news-1/2015/5/17/nepal-helo-crash-officials-identify-marines-and-soldiers-involved Nepal Helo Crash: Officials Identify Marines and Soldiers involved #OAF 9 July 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150711080244/http://www.oafnation.com/news-1/2015/5/17/nepal-helo-crash-officials-identify-marines-and-soldiers-involved 2015-07-11 deadhttps://medium.com/war-is-boring/u-s-marines-faced-dangers-in-nepal-before-deadly-crash-41d202bfd207 U.S. Marines Faced Dangers in Nepal Before Deadly Crash Joseph Trevithick Medium 18 May 2015 9 July 2015 10 July 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150710015709/https://medium.com/war-is-boring/u-s-marines-faced-dangers-in-nepal-before-deadly-crash-41d202bfd207 live Aftermath According to CNN, then Nepali Prime Minister Sushil Koirala said "You know, our terrain is so ... difficult, that is why (it crashed). We feel so sorry for that." In honour of the fallen, the Heritage Room of the U.S. Embassy, in Kathmandu, Nepal was renamed to "Vengeance Hall" after the crashed helicopter.http://www.helis.com/database/news/vengeance_hall/ Fallen Marines to be Memorialized at US Embassy in Nepal November 3, 2015 May 31, 2017 October 10, 2017 https://web.archive.org/web/20171010005856/http://www.helis.com/database/news/vengeance_hall/ live On May 15 an "Open Letter" from the People of Nepal remembering the Marines was published. It was thereafter replied to by Peter W. Bodde, Ambassador of the United States of America to Nepal.https://medium.com/@amrit_sharma/open-letter-to-the-us-marines-from-the-people-of-nepal-ea9eaa68ad07 Amrit Sharma Open Letter To The US Marines From The People of Nepal May 15, 2015 May 31, 2015 Investigation The helicopter crash was attributed to the crew's decision to fly the most direct route to Kathmandu. The chosen course required a brief period over unfamiliar terrain with unstable meteorological conditions Accident Description https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=176077 25 September 2017 Aviation Safety Network 30 May 2017 10 October 2017 https://web.archive.org/web/20171010054437/https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=176077 live and was necessary "due to a real or perceived urgency" concerning the condition of the injured civilians.https://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/08/world/asia/marine-helicopter-crash-nepal.html Route Decision Led to U.S. Helicopter Crash in Nepal, Marines Say The New York Times 7 November 2015 9 October 2017 Najar Nida It was reported that the aircraft "was enveloped by rapidly developing clouds or lifted into a cloud by rising air currents. As they attempted to maneuver out of the weather conditions, they lost visual reference with the terrain and impacted the ground." References 27 40 0 N 86 2 0 E title Category:Aviation accidents and incidents in 2015 Category:Aviation accidents and incidents in Nepal Category:2015 Nepal earthquakes Category:2015 disasters in Nepal Category:May 2015 in Asia Category:Accidents and incidents involving military helicopters Category:Aviation accidents and incidents involving Bell aircraft