Nepal plane crash highlights: Black box recovered from accident site as all 72 on board believed to be dead

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Nepal plane crash LIVE: In a statement, Yeti Airlines said a Nepali Army helicopter has been in Pokhara to airlift bodies of the foreign nationals, crew members and of those whose identity has not been established to Kathmandu for forensic examination to establish their identities.

Nepal plane crash LIVE: Officials said 41 bodies out of 69 recovered so far have been identified as Nepal observed a national day of mourning on Monday.

Kerala family mourns death of friends in Nepal plane crash

Little did anyone in Pathanamthitta realise that a plane crash in Nepal will leave a family in their quiet pilgrim town completely shattered. The Yeti airlines that crashed in Pokhara on Saturday was carrying among others, three close friends of a family in Pathanamthitta, about 100 Kilometres from the state capital.

Nepal plane crash LIVE: Nepal Army to resume search operation tomorrow as three people remain unaccounted for in the aircraft crash in Pokhara of Kaski District: Nepal Army

Permission was granted to pilot asking for runway change before landing

Minutes before the aircraft was to land on Sunday, the pilot asked for a change of runway, a spokesperson for Pokhara airport told news agency Reuters on Monday. "The permission was granted. "We don't ask (why), whenever a pilot asks we give permission to change approach," the spokesperson, Anup Joshi, said.

Nepal plane crash LIVE: Yeti Airlines and Tara Air plane crashes have killed 165 people in Nepal since 2000

There are nine domestic airlines in Nepal, including Yeti Airlines and its unit Tara Air. Yeti and Tara plane crashes have killed at least 165 people in Nepal since 2000 out of a total of 359, according to data from CAAN. Another 75 people have died in helicopter crashes this century in Nepal, which is home to eight of the world's 14 highest mountains, including Everest, and where sudden weather changes can make for hazardous conditions.

Nepal plane crash LIVE updates: Pilot asked for runway change before landing

Minutes before the aircraft was to land on Sunday, the pilot asked for a change of runway, a spokesperson for Pokhara airport told news agency Reuters on Monday.

Nepal plane crash LIVE: Nepalese pilot couple killed in plane crash nearly 16 years apart

Anju Khatiwada, the co-pilot of the crashed Yeti Airlines' aircraft, joined Nepal's aviation sector after the death of her husband who was killed while flying a small passenger plane of the same domestic airline in 2006. Nearly 16 years later, the 9N-ANC ATR-72 aircraft - co-piloted by Anju - crashed on the bank of the Seti River near Pokhara's new airport on Sunday, with 72 people on board. Sixty-nine people were confirmed dead in Sunday's crash while three others are still missing. Anju is believed to be among the victims. Anju was married to co-pilot Deepak Pokharel, who used to fly helicopters of the Nepal Army. After a few years of their marriage, Deepak, who became a pilot of Yeti Airlines, died in a Twin-Otter crash in Jumla district in 2006.

Nepal plane crash LIVE: Rescuers battle cloudy weather and poor visibility

Rescuers were battling cloudy weather and poor visibility on Monday as they scoured a river gorge for passengers who are unaccounted for, more than 24 hours after the crash. Sixty-eight bodies have been recovered.

Both black boxes in good condition

The data on the recorders may help investigators determine what caused the Yeti Airlines ATR 72 aircraft, carrying 72 people, to crash in clear weather on Sunday just before landing in the tourist city of Pokhara. Both recorders were in good shape and would be sent for analysis based on the recommendation of the manufacturer, Teknath Sitaula, an official at Kathmandu airport, told Reuters on Monday.

Black box: FAQs

The Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) records radio transmissions and other sounds in the cockpit, such as conversations between the pilots, and engine noises. The flight data recorder (FDR) records more than 80 different types of information such as speed, altitude and direction, as well as pilot actions and performance of important systems. Find out how it looks and it is traced post accidents here: 

Black box: What is it and why is it called one? 

The black box of the crashed aircraft was handed over to the Civil Aviaiton Authority of Nepal after it was found at the accident site. spokesperson at Yeti Airlines Sudarshan Bartaula said. Find out what is a black box and why is it called one here: 

Nepal Plane Crash: Prominent Nepali journalist dead

Prominent Nepali journalist, Tribhuvan Poudyal, was among the 68 passengers who were killed in the country's deadliest aviation accident in over 30 years. The 37-year-old Poudyal was a central executive member of the Federation of Nepalese Journalists (FNJ), an umbrella 
organisation of journalists in Nepal.

In a statement, the FNJ expressed and said, "His death has caused irreparable damage to the Nepalese journalist fraternity."