Yeti Flight 691 Cockpit Voice Recorder Decoded - The Real Story Revealed

The cockpit voice recording from the Yeti Airlines flight 691 accident in January 2023 has been released - or perhaps more accurately, leaked. The recording captures the last 5 minutes of the flight as registered by the CVR (Cockpit Voice Recorder.) Most of the conversation is in Nepali, but I have translated it into English. Some of the conversation is technical, and in this video, I explain what they were talking about.

On January 15, 2023, an ATR 72-500 from Yeti Airlines crashed while on approach to Pokhara International Airport in Nepal. Tragically, all 72 passengers and crew members lost their lives. In December 2023, the Nepalese Aircraft Accident Investigation Commission (AAIC) released their final report. It confirms that the propellers were feathered by moving both condition levers to the feather position, resulting in a loss of thrust from both propellers.

Links:
Yeti Flight 691 final report:    • Yeti Airlines Flight 691 final report...  
Powerplant part 1:    • ATR systems - Powerplant part 1 - Gen...  
Powerplant part 2:    • ATR systems - Powerplant part 2 - Gas...  
Powerplant part 3:    • ATR systems - Powerplant part 3 - Pro...  
Powerplant part 4:    • ATR systems - Powerplant part 4 - Ope...  
ATR electrical system:    • ATR electric systems - an introduction  
Admiral Cloudberg:   / admiralcloudberg  
Firstpost:    • Nepal Plane Crash: 18 People Die, Pil...  
Outlook India: https://www.outlookindia.com/internat...

The flight crew was composed of two captains. Kamal KC, who occupied the right-hand seat, served as the commander and was responsible for providing familiarization training to Anju Khatiwada. Anju, seated in the left-hand seat, was the Pilot Flying (PF). Early reports incorrectly stated that Anju was a co-pilot set to become a captain after this flight. In reality, she was already a captain. Following this flight, she would be qualified to serve as a commander for flights to Pokhara International Airport. (Reference: Outlook India, see link above.)

The airport had been open for only two weeks, and because of the challenging terrain in the surrounding area, the airline required captains to complete familiarization flights. At that time, the instrument approach procedures had not yet been published, and the pilots had to operate under Visual Flight Rules (VFR). Due to the challenging terrain, landing on runway 30 was preferred, while runway 12 was used for take-offs.

Earlier in the day, Kamal and Anju had flown to Pokhara International Airport, landing on runway 30 and taking off from runway 12. The accident flight was their second trip to Pokhara that day.
When enroute, Kamal decided to let Anju land on runway 12. The approach to runway 12 was highly demanding and should have been thoroughly briefed before the flight. There wasn’t enough time to provide a detailed briefing in-flight. As they neared the airport, Kamal continued to brief Anju about the procedure.

In the final moments of the flight, both pilots were focused outside the cockpit. And when Anju requested flap 30, Kamal accidentally moved both condition levers to the feathered position. Feathering the propellers was a mistake, but it was not the sole cause of the accident.

The most likely cause was that neither pilot noticed that both propellers were feathered. They were faced with numerous indications: the SC warning, flashing MC lights, and three amber cautions on the CAP. Additionally, the overhead panel displayed 14 amber lights when there should have been none, and both the TQ and NP indicators showed 0. How did they overlook all of these warnings?
The EU has imposed a ban on all airline companies from Nepal, including Yeti Airlines. The primary reason is that the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAA Nepal) serves both as the regulatory and operational body. In 2022, ICAO formally requested that Nepal separate its civil aviation authority into two distinct entities—one for service provision and another for regulation.

Until this separation occurs, Nepalese airlines will remain banned by the EU. According to Firstpost, Nepal has one of the worst air safety records globally. Over the past 30 years, more than 50 flights have crashed in the country. While the challenging terrain and rapidly changing weather conditions contribute to the difficulties of aviation in Nepal, these factors should not excuse the high accident rate.

When facing challenging conditions, it’s crucial to implement measures to mitigate the risks. This may lead to flight cancellations, but it’s better than risking an accident. Safety efforts must begin at the top, with the government, followed by the Civil Aviation Authority, the airlines, and finally, the pilots.

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